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Bright light impacts the human circadian system such that exposure to bright light at night can suppress melatonin secretion, and exposure to bright light in the morning prevents light-induced melatonin suppression at night. The preventive effect of morning light may attenuate the prior history of light sensitivity of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) that regulate the circadian system. In this study, we evaluated electroretinogram (ERG) responses to red and blue flickering lights following dim and bright daylight conditions. Eleven healthy females underwent ERG measurements during exposure to 33 Hz flickering red or blue light under dim and bright daytime conditions. We averaged ERG waves for 50 flickering light pulses of the trigger signal data. We obtained the amplitude of the signal-averaged ERG by calculating the difference between the waves' peaks and bottoms. Although there was no significant dim and bright light difference in the amplitude of ERG waves, the ERG amplitude to flickering blue light under the bright light condition was significantly lower than to flickering blue light under the dim light condition. In this study, blue light stimulated mainly ipRGCs and S-cones. Since S-cones may contribute minimally to the light-adapted 33 Hz flicker ERG results, our findings suggest that bright light during the daytime attenuates the sensitivity of human ipRGCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The auditory brainstem response (ABR) can be elicited by broadband stimuli such as the click and chirp. Differences in the click- and chirp-evoked ABR have been extensively described using subjective analyses. The aim of the current research is to determine if subjectively observed differences between the click- and chirp-evoked ABR are also represented in objective signal-tonoise ratio (SNR) measurements obtained from these responses at different stimulus intensities and sweep counts. Method: ABRs were collected using click and chirp stimuli on nine adults with normal hearing sensitivity. Three SNR methods (split-sweep average--based SNR [SSA-SNR], F ratio--based single-point [Fsp], and multipoint [Fmp]) were used for the objective analysis of the waveforms at four stimulus intensities (20, 40, 60, and 80 dB nHL) and five sweep counts (100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 sweeps). Results: SSA-SNR measurements were statistically stronger for chirp- as compared to click-evoked ABRs. Additionally, chirp/click SSA-SNR, Fsp, and Fmp ratio measurements were consistently greater than 1. The advantage associated with the chirp was most noticeable at moderate stimulus intensities for all three measurements. Discussion: The advantages for the chirp observed here could have implications for threshold estimation and screening ABR tests. Furthermore, when stimulus intensity and sweep count were varied, general response trends suggest that the three SNR-based methods performed similarly to each other, as well as to traditionally used subjective measures, suggesting that these techniques have the potential to be used effectively in clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nested sampling parameter estimation differs from evidence estimation, in that it incurs an additional source of uncertainty. This uncertainty affects estimates of parameter means and credible intervals in gravitational wave analyses and beyond, and yet, it is typically not accounted for in standard uncertainty estimation methods. In this paper, we present two novel methods to quantify this uncertainty more accurately for any chain based nested sampler, using the additional likelihood calls made at run time in producing independent samples. Using injected signals of black hole binary coalescences as an example, we first show concretely that the usual uncertainty estimation method is insufficient to capture the true error bar on parameter estimates. We then demonstrate how the extra points in the chains of chain based samplers may be carefully utilized to estimate this uncertainty correctly, and provide a way to check the accuracy of the resulting error bars. Finally, we discuss how this uncertainty affects p – p plots and coverage assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed the covariant approach for the partial wave analysis of the radiative decay of the vector meson into two pseudoscalar mesons based on the orbital momentum- intrinsic spin decomposition. This allowed us to include the data on the radiative decay into a large data base for analysis of the meson production reactions. The correspondence between partial wave amplitudes extracted in our approach and those extracted in the helicity basis is determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine Korean listeners' judgement of sound duration as prolongation and the mode of perceiving prolongation, whether discrete or continuous. A total of 75 Korean undergraduate students listened to the Korean segment /s/, each of which was lengthened by 0–380 ms (ranging from the original 205 to 585 ms) in 20-ms increments. Then, the participants were asked to complete two different primary tasks: determine whether the sound was normal (0) or abnormal (1) and rate each version of the sound based on a rating of 1 to 100 (the closer to 100, the less fluent). The minimum duration for the Korean sound to be perceived as abnormally prolonged was calculated by analysing the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves using Youden's index. To examine whether listeners perceived durational variations for the fricative segment discretely or continuously, a curve was estimated using the best fitting regression model for the observed data with the highest adjusted R-squared value. The minimum duration identified as abnormal prolongation for the Korean lenis fricative /s/ was 375 ms, corresponding to 182.9% of the original, unaltered sound's length. The mode of perceiving durational variations for the segment was continuous (or gradient) rather than discrete. No gender difference was found in the minimum durational threshold and the mode of perceiving prolongation. The findings of this study were further discussed in relation to the existing body of research, and some clinical implications for the assessment of stuttering were also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: When emphasizing muscular strength during postoperative rehabilitation it is recommended to use a neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) waveform that elicits the greatest muscle force and local metabolic demand that is also well tolerated. The present investigation examined the effects that 3 different clinically used NMES waveforms had on the electrically elicited force (EEF), local metabolic demand (exercising muscle oxygen saturation [SmO2]), and the subsequent reactive hyperemia response (recovery total hemoglobin concentration [THb]) of the knee extensors. Design: Single session repeated-measures design. Methods: EEF, local metabolic demand, and reactive hyperemia responses were measured during and subsequent to 3 NMES waveforms: Russian burst modulated alternating current (RUS), biphasic pulsed current (VMS™), and burst modulated biphasic pulsed current (VMS-Burst™). Exercising SmO2 and recovery THb were assessed noninvasively using a near-infrared spectroscopy sensor placed on the vastus lateralis. Participants completed one set of 10 repetitions of each NMES waveform and were provided with 5 minutes of passive, interset recovery. Two-way, repeated-measures analysis of variance examined if NMES waveform or repetition significantly affected (P<.05) EEF or exercising SmO2. Two-way, repeated-measures analysis of variance examined if NMES waveform or recovery time affected recovery THb. Results: VMS and VMS-Burst™ yielded higher EEF (F = 11.839, P <. 001) and greater local metabolic stress (lower exercising SmO2, F = 13.654, P < .001) compared with RUS. Greater rate of EEF decline throughout the NMES set was observed during RUS (%Δ = -50 [6] % Rep 1) compared with VMS-Burst™ (%Δ = -30 [7] %Rep 1) and VMS™ (%Δ = -32 [7] %Rep 1). VMS™ elicited a higher reactive hyperemia response (higher recovery THb) compared with RUS (F =3.427, P=.048). Conclusions: The present findings support the use of VMS™ or VMS-Burst™ compared with RUS when promoting muscular strength. In addition, the use of VMS might provide a greater blood volume to the target muscle subsequent to NMES contractions compared with RUS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The delineation of the linear/nonlinear response of bituminous material in the frequency domain is conducted using the small-amplitude oscillatory shear test, wherein only the peak stress and strain are available. In contrast, the large-amplitude oscillatory shear tests provide complete waveform data. Analysis of such data can help to unravel the linear/nonlinear response with greater accuracy. This investigation reports such an exercise. An experimental investigation is conducted on five different materials at different strain amplitudes, frequencies, and temperatures. The geometry-based parameters obtained from the Lissajous plot gave contradictory linear/nonlinear delineation. Analysis of the higher order harmonics did not show any appreciable presence of nonlinearity. However, the orientation of the Lissajous plots differed from the strain amplitude. The elastic and viscous stress could be predicted using the first-order Chebyshev coefficients indicating the linear response, but the coefficients differed with the strain amplitude. The scaling-superposition of the waveform revealed a clear demarcation of the linear/nonlinear response. This indicated that the response of the bituminous material needs to be analysed for a range of frequency and amplitude. The mere analysis of the waveform data at any test condition can help only to establish the necessary condition for linearity but not a sufficient condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Ineffective effort (IE) is a frequent patient-ventilator asynchrony in invasive mechanical ventilation. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of IE and to explore its relationship with respiratory drive in subjects with acute brain injury undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed a clinical database that assessed patient-ventilator asynchrony in subjects with acute brain injury. IE was identified based on airway pressure, flow, and esophageal pressure waveforms collected at 15-min intervals 4 times daily. At the end of each data set recording, airway-occlusion pressure (P0.1) was determined by the airway occlusion test. IE index was calculated to indicate the severity of IE. The incidence of IE in different types of brain injuries as well as its relationship with P0.1 was determined. RESULTS: We analyzed 852 data sets of 71 subjects with P0.1 measured and undergoing mechanical ventilation for at least 3 d after enrollment. IE was detected in 688 (80.8%) data sets, with a median index of 2.2% (interquartile range 0.4-13.1). Severe IE (IE index ≥ 10%) was detected in 246 (28.9%) data sets. The post craniotomy for brain tumor and the stroke groups had higher median IE index and lower P0.1 compared with the traumatic brain injury group (2.6% [0.7--9.7] vs 2.7% [0.3-21] vs 1.2% [0.1--8.5], P = .002; 1.4 [1-2] cm H2O vs 1.5 [1-2.2] cm H2O vs 1.8 [1.1-2.8] cm H2O, P = .001). Low respiratory drive (P0.1 < 1.14 cm H2O) was independently associated with severe IE in the expiratory phase (IEE) even after adjusting for confounding factors by logistic regression analysis (odds ratio 5.18 [95% CI 2.69-10], P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: IE was very common in subjects with acute brain injury. Low respiratory drive was independently associated with severe IEE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The switching power supply is widely used in the secondary equipment of the power grid. The failure of the switching power supply will cause the protection device to malfunction, leading to a risk of large‐scale power failure. In this paper, a real‐time monitoring method based on only output voltage information is proposed. The experiment shows that this parameter‐reduced approach, relying only on voltage information, outperforms the existing method in detection accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shiftwork leads to myriad negative health and safety outcomes. Lighting countermeasures can benefit shiftworkers via physiological effects of light (e.g. alerting, circadian adjustment), and short-wavelength light is the most potent for eliciting those responses; however, limited work indicates it may not be required for alerting. We developed similar-appearing light boxes (correlated color temperature: 3000–3375 K; photopic illuminance: 260–296 lux), enriched (SW+, melanopic EDI: 294 lux) or attenuated (SW-, melanopic EDI: 103 lux) in short-wavelength energy, and implemented them on a high-security watchfloor. Efficacy and feasibility of these two novel lighting interventions were assessed in personnel working 12-hour night shifts (n  = 47) in this within-participants, crossover study. For each intervention condition, light boxes were arranged across the front of the watchfloor and illuminated the entire shift; blue-blocking glasses were worn post-shift and before sleep; and sleep masks were used while sleeping. Comparisons between baseline and intervention conditions included alertness, sleep, mood, quality of life (QOL), and implementation measures. On-shift alertness (Karolinska Sleepiness Scale) increased in SW− compared to baseline, while changes in SW+ were more limited. Under SW+, both mood and sleep improved. Psychomotor vigilance task performance did not vary by condition; however, perceived performance and QOL were higher, and reported caffeine consumption and sleep onset latency were lower, under SW−. For both interventions, satisfaction and comfort were high, and fewer symptoms and negative feelings were reported. The addition of spectrally engineered lights to this unique work environment improved sleep, alertness, and mood without compromising visual comfort and satisfaction. This paper is part of the Sleep and Circadian Rhythms: Management of Fatigue in Occupational Settings Collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have not established if overloading or underloading movement profiles are present in symptomatic and asymptomatic athletes with patellar tendon structural abnormality (PTA) compared with healthy athletes. To compare involved-limb landing biomechanics between male athletes with and those without patellar tendinopathy. Cross-sectional study. Laboratory. A total of 43 male athletes were grouped based on patellar tendon pain and ultrasound imaging of the proximal patellar tendon: symptomatic with PTA (SYM; n = 13; age = 19.62 ± 1.61 years, height = 1.82 ± 0.05 m, mass = 83.46 ± 5.12 kg), asymptomatic with PTA (ASYM; n = 15; age = 21.13 ± 1.88 years, height = 1.84 ± 0.07 m, mass = 81.45 ± 13.26 kg), and healthy control (CON; n = 15; age = 19.60 ± 1.55 years, height = 1.84 ± 0.09 m, mass = 79.09 ± 12.37 kg). Three-dimensional biomechanics were collected during a double-limb jump-landing task. Kinematic (knee-flexion angle [KF]) and kinetic (vertical ground reaction force, internal knee-extension moment [KEM], patellar tendon force [FPT]) variables were analyzed as continuous waveforms during the stance phase for the involved limb. Mean values were calculated for each 1% of stance, normalized over 202 data points (0%–100%), and plotted with 95% CIs. Statistical significance was defined as a lack of 95% CI overlap for a minimum of a consecutive 3% of the stance phase. The SYM group had less KF than the CON group throughout the stance phase (8%–76%: Cohen d = 1.14 ± 0.12, mean difference [MD] = 15.83° ± 2.71°). The ASYM group had less KF than the CON group in the early (8%–13%: Cohen d = 0.99 ± 0.04, MD = 7.99° ± 0.39°; 21%–24%: Cohen d = 1.01 ± 0.01, MD = 11.11° ± 0.32°) and late (74%–94%: Cohen d = 0.96 ± 0.07, MD = 9.55° ± 1.13°) stance phases. The SYM group had a smaller KEM (6.5%–9%: Cohen d = 1.21 ± 0.08, MD = 0.04 ± 0.004 N·m/[Nbw·mht]) and less FPT (6%–9%: Cohen d = 1.15 ± 0.15, MD = 0.85 ± 0.15 body weight) than the CON group in the early stance phase. The SYM group also displayed a smaller KEM (38%–56%: Cohen d = 1.17 ± 0.06, MD = 0.03 ± 0.001 N·m/[Nbw·mht]) and less FPT (36%–60%: Cohen d = 1.22 ± 0.08, MD = 0.66 ± 0.05 body weight) than the ASYM group in the midstance phase. The SYM group demonstrated a patellar tendon load-avoidance profile compared with the ASYM and CON groups. The ASYM group showed no evidence of overloading compared with the CON group. Our findings support the need for individualized treatments for athletes with tendinopathy to maximize load capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hughes, S, Warmenhoven, J, Haff, GG, Chapman, DW, and Nimphius, S. Countermovement jump and squat jump force-time curve analysis in control and fatigue conditions. J Strength Cond Res 36(10): 2752–2761, 2022—This study aimed to reanalyze previously published discrete force data from countermovement jumps (CMJs) and squat jumps (SJs) using statistical parametric mapping (SPM), a statistical method that enables analysis of data in its native, complete state. Statistical parametric mapping analysis of 1-dimensional (1D) force-time curves was compared with previous zero-dimensional (0D) analysis of peak force to assess sensitivity of 1D analysis. Thirty-two subjects completed CMJs and SJs at baseline, 15 minutes, 1, 24, and 48 hours following fatigue and control conditions in a pseudo random cross-over design. Absolute (CMJABS/SJABS) and time-normalized (CMJNORM/SJNORM) force-time data were analyzed using SPM 2-way repeated measures analysis of variance with significance accepted at α = 0.05. The SPM indicated a magnitude of difference between force-time data with main effects for time (p < 0.001) and interaction (p < 0.001) observed in CMJABS, SJABS, and SJNORM, whereas previously published 0D analysis reported no 2-way interaction in CMJ and SJ peak force. This exploratory research demonstrates the strength of SPM to identify changes between entire movement force-time curves. Continued development and use of SPM analysis techniques could present the opportunity for refined assessment of athlete fatigue and readiness with the analysis of complete force-time curves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we outline the findings of our recent study of the properties of N* (1895) and its consequential impacts on the cross-sections of the photoproduction of Λ(1405). Further, we discuss the possibility of the existence of an isovector state with a mass similar to Λ(1405), which we refer to as Σ(1400). With the idea of motivating experimental investigations of Σ(1400), we have studied its photoproduction process and determined the respective cross-sections and polarization observables. We have studied also the coupling of N* (1895) to KΣ(1400) and found that it gives an important contribution to the cross-sections near the threshold. In the process, we have determined the branching ratios of the decay of N* (1895) to the final states involving Λ(1405) and Σ(1400) to be in the range of 6--- MeV. Our findings can motivate the consideration of alternative processes in partial wave analyses of experimental data when studying the properties of N* [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background  Frequency tuning of ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP) refers to the frequency of tone burst that produces the largest amplitude oVEMP. There is an ever-growing pool of published studies that found the frequency tuning of oVEMP distinctly different in Ménière's disease than the age-matched controls and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. However, recording oVEMP in response to many frequencies makes an already lengthy vestibular test battery even more cumbersome and time-consuming. Purpose  The aim of this study was to develop a novel time-saving stimulus that produces reliable results. Research Design  Prospective study. Study Sample  The study included 25 young, healthy adults. Data Collection  The tone-bursts of 2000, 1500, 1000, 750, 500, and 250 Hz were generated and sequenced in this order to prepare a stimulus for simultaneous multifrequency (SiMFy) oVEMP. The response parameters of SiMFy and conventional oVEMP methods were compared. Results  No significant difference in peak-to-peak amplitude and frequency tuning existed between conventional and SiMFy oVEMP (p > 0.05). SiMFy had better test–retest reliability and was less time-consuming than the conventional oVEMP. Conclusions  SiMFy is a time-saving and reliable stimulus for obtaining frequency tuning of oVEMP with no compromise on the outcomes. It can be immediately applied in most commercially available evoked potential systems with a facility for loading an external stimulus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study presents the results of acoustic and kinematic analyses of word-initial semivowels (/ɹ, l, w/) produced by second-language (L2) speakers of English whose native language is Korean. In addition, the relationship of acoustic and kinematic measures to the ratings of foreign accent was examined by correlation analyses. Method: Eleven L2 speakers and 10 native speakers (first language [L1]) of English read The Caterpillar passage. Acoustic and kinematic data were simultaneously recorded using an electromagnetic articulography system. In addition to speaking rate, two acoustic measures (ratio of third-formant [F3] frequency to second-formant [F2] frequency and duration of steady states of F2) and two kinematic measures (lip aperture and duration of lingual maximum hold) were obtained from individual target sounds. To examine the degree of contrast among the three sounds, acoustic and kinematic Euclidean distances were computed on the F2–F3 and x–y planes, respectively. Results: Compared with L1 speakers, L2 speakers exhibited a significantly slower speaking rate. For the three semivowels, L2 speakers showed a reduced F3/F2 ratio during constriction, increased lip aperture, and reduced acoustic Euclidean distances among semivowels. Additionally, perceptual ratings of foreign accent were significantly correlated with three measures: duration of steady F2, acoustic Euclidean distance, and kinematic Euclidean distance. Conclusions: The findings provide acoustic and kinematic evidence for challenges that L2 speakers experience in the production of English semivowels, especially /ɹ/ and /w/. The robust and consistent finding of reduced contrasts among semivowels and their correlations with perceptual accent ratings suggests using sound contrasts as a potentially effective approach to accent modification paradigms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Objectives: To understand how sleep need changes across adolescence our laboratory is carrying out a longitudinal dose--response study on the effects of sleep duration on daytime sleepiness and performance. This report focuses on the relation of the waking alpha (8-12 Hz) electroencephalogram (EEG) to prior sleep duration, whether this relation changes with age, and whether decreased waking alpha power is related to changes in daytime sleepiness, vigilance, and executive functioning. Methods: Study participants (n = 77) entered the study at ages ranging from 9.86 to 13.98 years and were studied annually for 3 years. Each year participants completed each of three time in bed (TIB) conditions (7, 8.5, or 10 h) for four consecutive nights. Waking EEG was recorded on the day following the fourth night. Results: TIB restriction and resultant sleep loss were associated with reduced alpha power with the effect being stronger for the eyes closed condition. TIB restriction altered the power spectrum within the alpha range by increasing the frequency of maximum alpha power. Alpha power decreased with age, but the effect of TIB restriction did not decrease with age. Reduced alpha power was associated with small but significant increases in subjective and objective sleepiness but was not associated with changes in vigilance or executive functioning. Conclusions: We interpret the alpha depression following sleep loss as incomplete sleep dependent recuperation that contributes to daytime sleepiness. The absence of a decrease in TIB effects with age indicates that this sleep need measure does not decrease over early to mid-adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Ductus venosus blood flow velocity measurements are mandatory in many clinical indications. The evaluation of the flow is performed either by comparing results with general reference tables or by qualitative assessment of the "a" flow, in regard to reversed or absent flow in the spectral waveforms. The aim was to develop normal reference ranges in low-risk pregnancies in our population. Material and Methods: Measurements of flow velocities (S, v, D, a) and indices (pulsatility index for veins, peak velocity index for veins, a/S, S/a) were performed by a single experienced specialist in 1279 singleton, uncomplicated pregnancies between 11 and 40 weeks gestation. The absolute flow velocities (S, v, D, a, VmPeak) and indices were obtained from spectral waveforms using the equipment producer's inbuilt system. The still images were stored in the picture archiving and communication system. Results: The predicted reference ranges of the ductus venosus blood flow velocities according to the gestational age are shown in tables and graphics. Predicted reference curves based on the 5th and 95th percentiles according to gestational week were plotted and are given in tables and figures. Conclusion: Normal reference ranges for absolute flow velocities and indices were calculated from a population of uncomplicated pregnancies attending a tertiary care center. The measurements were made from both the classic patterns of the waveforms and also considered variants of the spectral waveforms, which have recently been reported, for the first time in the medical literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a general data-driven and template-free method for the extraction of event waveforms in the presence of background noise. Recent gravitational-wave observations provide one of the significant scientific areas requiring data analysis and waveform extraction capability. We use our method to find the waveforms for the reported events from the first, second, and third LIGO observation runs (O1, O2, and O3). Using the instantaneous frequencies derived by the Hilbert transform of the extracted waveforms, we provide the physical time delays between the arrivals of gravitational waves to the detectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This current research presents the elements of expressing a sense of being alive of the artifacts based on the results of three experiments. In recent years, robots and AI have become necessary products in the world, and there are the considerations of designing artifacts to express a sense of being alive by making them similar to humans. However, the received data about making the artifacts have a sense of being alive are only related to the abstract concepts, which are difficult to apply. Therefore, this study aims to determine the factors of the expression of a sense of being alive of the artifacts by performing comparisons between the expressing of a sense of being alive and the mechanical expression of the artifacts. Then, three experiment phases were conducted, which were a study on artificial expression via flashing lights, sounds, and changing forms. A set of questionnaires were distributed to the participants. The participants' points of view were examined by employing multivariate analysis methods. The transition of the artificial expression in this research was turned into the figure of waveforms. Finally, four factors were selected as having the highest effect with expressing a sense of being alive from the human judgments, which were 1) the waveform with some fluctuations, 2) smooth waveforms, 3) an unexpected waveform, and 4) the waveform with unstable periods. This study's results may further be applied to new products to allow them to express a sense of being alive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method for land-cover classification was proposed based on the fusion of features generated from waveform data and point cloud respectively. It aims to partially overcome the ineffectiveness of many traditional classifiers caused by the fact that point cloud is lacking spectral information. The whole flowchart of the method is as follows: Firstly, Gaussian decomposition was applied to fit an echo full-waveform. The parameters associated with the Gaussian function were optimized by LM (Levenberg-Marquard) algorithm. Six and thirteen features were generated to describe the waveform characteristics and the local geometry of point cloud, respectively. Secondly, a random forest was selected as the classifier to which the generated features were input. Relief-F was used to rank the weights of all the features generated. Finally, features were input to the classifier one by one according to the weights calculated from feature ranking, where classification accuracies were evaluated. The experimental results show that the effectiveness of the fusion of features generated from waveform and point cloud for LiDAR data classification, with 95.4% overall accuracy, 0.90 kappa coefficient, which outperform the results obtained by a single class of features, no matter whether they were generated from point cloud or waveform data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Introduction: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is predicated on eliciting muscle contractions and increasing muscle demand to promote increase in strength. Previous studies have shown differences in the magnitude of elicited force among various NMES waveforms but less is known about metabolic demand of muscle during NMES. Objective/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare elicited force and muscle metabolic demand during electrically elicited contractions using different NMES waveforms. Methods: A single-session repeated measures design was used. Electrically elicited force (EEF), microvascular oxygenation (SmO2), total hemoglobin concentration ([THC]) of the vastus lateralis, and subject tolerance (VAS score) were measured using three NMES waveforms; burst modulated alternating current (Russian), biphasic pulsed current (VMS®), and burst modulated biphasic pulsed current (VMS-burst®). Results: A significant main effect for waveform was noted for EEF (F = 12.693, p <.001), SmO2 (F = 8.340, p =.001), and VAS (F = 4.213, p =.025), but not [THC]. Compared to Russian current, VMS-burst and VMS resulted in significantly greater EEF (p =.001; p =.009) and local metabolic demand (i.e. decreased SmO2) (p =.005; p =.003), but not [THC]. VAS was significantly greater (p =.023) for VMS (4.2) compared to Russian (3.07) but not different between VMS-burst and Russian and VMS-burst and VMS. Conclusion: Greater muscle force and local metabolic demand were observed with VMS-burst and VMS compared to Russian current. These data provide novel evidence to guide clinical decision making when selecting an NMES waveform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gait parameters calculated from trunk acceleration reflect the features of gait; however, they cannot evaluate the gait pattern corresponding to the gait cycle. This study is aimed at investigating the differences in gait parameters calculated from trunk acceleration during gait corresponding to the gait cycle in healthy subjects with restricted knee extension. Participants included eight healthy volunteers who walked normally (NW) and with knee orthosis that restricted knee extension (ER). The ground reaction force (GRF), joint angles, and trunk acceleration during walking were measured using four force plates, a three-dimensional motion analysis system, and an inertial measurement unit. The peak GRF of the vertical components, joint ranges of motion, and moments of force were analyzed. The root mean square (RMS) and amplitude peak ratio (AR) of autocorrelation function were calculated from the trunk acceleration waveform. The first peak GRF and peak ankle dorsiflexion angles significantly increased during ER. The peak hip extension, knee flexion, knee extension angles, and the peak moment of knee extension significantly decreased during ER compared to that during NW. The acceleration AR significantly decreased during ER compared to that during NW. There was no significant difference in the RMS between the two conditions. The acceleration AR may show the temporal postural structure with restricted knee extension from the terminal stance phase for the ipsilateral limb to the initial stance phase for the contralateral limb. These results suggest that novel metrics for accelerometry gait analysis can reveal gait abnormalities, with restricted knee extension corresponding to the gait cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PyPWA is a toolkit designed to optimize parametric models describing data and generate simulated distributions according to a model. Its software has been written within the python ecosystem with the goal of performing Amplitude or Partial Wave Analysis (PWA) in nuclear and particle physics experiments. We briefly describe the general features of amplitude analysis and we provide a description of the PyPWA software design and usage. We also provide benchmarks of the scaling and an example of its application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perceived instability is a primary symptom among individuals with chronic ankle instability. However, the relationship between joint kinematics during landing remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the relationships between landing kinematics and perceived instability in individuals with chronic ankle instability. In 32 individuals with chronic ankle instability, we recorded ankle, knee, and hip joint angles during a single-leg drop landing. Joint angle waveforms during 200 ms before and after initial contact were summarized into single values using two methods: peak joint angles and principal component scores via principal component analysis. Using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (ρ), we examined the relationships of peak joint angles and principal component scores with the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool score, with a lower score indicating a greater perceived instability (α = 0.05). The second principal component scores of ankle angle in the horizontal and sagittal planes significantly correlated with the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool score (Horizontal: ρ = 0.507, P = 0.003; Sagittal: ρ = −0.359, P = 0.044). These scores indicated the differences in the magnitude of angles before and after landing. Significant correlations indicated a greater perceived instability correlated with smaller internal rotation and plantarflexion before landing and smaller external rotation and dorsiflexion after landing. In contrast, no peak joint angles correlated with the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool score (P > 0.05). In individuals with chronic ankle instability, ankle movements during landing associated with perceived instability may be a protective strategy before landing and potentially cause ankle instability after landing. • We examined the relationships between perceived instability and landing kinematics. • Ankle kinematic patterns in the horizontal plane correlated to perceived instability. • Sagittal plane ankle kinematic patterns were associated with perceived instability. • Peak joint angles were not correlated with perceived instability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slip phenomena on plate interfaces reflect the heterogeneous physical properties of the slip plane and, thus, exhibit a wide variety of slip velocities and rupture propagation behaviors. Recent findings on slow earthquakes reveal similarities and differences between slow and regular earthquakes. Episodic tremor and slip (ETS) events, a type of slow earthquake widely observed in subduction zones, likewise show diverse activity. We investigated the growth of 17 ETS events beneath the Kii Peninsula in the Nankai subduction zone, Japan. Analyses of waveform data recorded by a seismic array enabled us to locate tremor hypocenters and estimate the migration patterns and spatial distribution of the energy release of tremor events. Here, we describe three major features in the growth of ETS events. First, independent of their start point and migration pattern, ETS events exhibit patches of high seismic energy release on the up-dip part of the ETS zone, suggesting that the location of these patches is controlled by inherent physical or frictional properties of the plate interface. Second, ETS events usually start outside the high-energy patches, and their final extent depends on whether the patches participate in the rupture. Third, we recognize no size dependence in the initiation phase of ETS events of different sizes with comparable start points. These features demonstrate that the cascading rupture of high-energy patches governs the growth of ETS events, just as the cascading rupture of asperities governs the growth of regular earthquakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Congenital fibrinogen disorders (CFDs) are classified as afibrinogenemia or hypofibrinogenemia (Hypo), dysfibrinogenemia (Dys), or hypodysfibrinogenemia (Hypodys), according to functional and antigenic fibrinogen concentrations. However, in routine laboratory tests, plasma fibrinogen levels are mostly measured using the functional Clauss method and not as an antigenic level. Therefore, it is difficult to discriminate CFD from acquired hypofibrinogenemia (aHypo). To establish a screening method for CFD, we investigated the parameters of clot waveform analysis (CWA) from the Clauss method. Methods: We compared fibrinogen concentrations determined using Clauss and prothrombin time (PT)‐derived methods for 67 aHypo and CFD cases (19 Dys, 4 Hypodys, and 1 Hypo determined using antigen levels and DNA sequence analysis) with a CS‐2400 instrument, and the CWA parameters, dH and Min1, were analyzed automatically with an on‐board algorithm. dH and Min1 are the maximum change in transmittance at the end of coagulation and the maximum velocity of transmittance change during coagulation, respectively. Results: Clauss/PT‐derived ratios detected 18 cases of Dys and Hypodys but no Hypo cases, whereas Clauss/dH plus Clauss/Min1 ratios were calculated from fibrinogen concentration using the Clauss method and CWA parameters detected 21 cases of Dys and Hypodys and one Hypo case. Moreover, the Clauss/PT‐derived ratio and Clauss/dH plus Clauss/Min1 ratio detected 22 cases of Dys and Hypodys cases and one Hypo case. Conclusion: This report demonstrates that CWA parameters of the Clauss method, Clauss/dH plus Clauss/Min1 ratio, screened Dys patients with a higher rate, whereas Clauss/PT‐derived ratios did not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human fisheries provide scavengers with abundant and predictable feeding opportunities that may schedule their behavioural patterns. Using miniaturized global positioning system (GPS) tracking technology, we evaluated how Audouin's gull (Ichthyaetus audouinii), a Mediterranean endemic seabird that makes extensive use of feeding opportunities provided by fisheries, co-occurred (i.e. presumably interacted) with the most important fishing fleets operating off the NE Iberian Peninsula (i.e. diurnal trawlers and nocturnal purse seiners), both in space and time. Results showed that individuals were able to adapt their distribution and activity patterns to the scheduled routines of these fisheries. Waveform analyses based on co-occurring positions revealed that most interactions with trawlers occurred during the afternoon (16:00 h GMT + 1) when discarding occurs as vessels return to port. In contrast, gull-purse seiner interactions largely occurred at night (between 02:00 and 04:00 h) coinciding with the setting and hauling of the nets. Moreover, we found an individual component in seabird–fishery interactions, showing that there may be differential use of fisheries by individuals within the population. In addition to implications for our understanding of the behavioural ecology of this species, these results may have important management implications, particularly under the current European Union Common Fisheries Policy scenario of largely restricting discards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The analysis of particular (electroencephalographic) EEG frequency bands has revealed new insights relative to the neural dynamics that, when studying the EEG spectrum as a whole, would have remained hidden. This study is aimed at characterizing spectral resting state EEG patterns for assessing possible differences of episodic and chronic migraine during the interictal period. For that purpose, a novel methodology for analyzing specific frequencies of interest was performed. Methods Eighty-seven patients with migraine (45 with episodic and 42 with chronic migraine) and 39 age- and sex-matched controls performed a resting-state EEG recording. Spectral measures were computed using conventional frequency bands. Additionally, particular frequency bands were determined to distinguish between controls and migraine patients, as well as between migraine subgroups. Results Frequencies ranging from 11.6 Hz to 12.8 Hz characterized migraine as a whole, with differences evident in the central and left parietal regions (controlling for false discovery rate). An additional band between 24.1 Hz and 29.8 Hz was used to discriminate between migraine subgroups. Interestingly, the power in this band was positively correlated with time from onset in episodic migraine, but no correlation was found for chronic migraine. Conclusions Specific frequency bands were proposed to identify the spectral characteristics of the electrical brain activity in migraine during the interictal stage. Our findings support the importance of discriminating between migraine subgroups to avoid hiding relevant features in migraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore why different directors feel different levels of accountability toward board tasks. Design/methodology/approach: The paper employs a reflexive three wave data and analysis process culminating in a rich data set of 49 interviews with Australian directors and 15 h of boardroom observations. Findings: Differences in role identification lead directors to perceive their accountability differently resulting in wide variation in levels of firm specific knowledge, eventually affecting their breadth of contribution to board tasks. Research limitations/implications: Researchers should question the application of traditional governance theory (such as agency theory) if it fails to account for individual differences in intrinsic self-interest. Practical implications: Selecting board members for their functional knowledge alone may not always produce optimal outcomes for the board and firm. Board induction processes and ongoing director training are important tools to inform and remind directors of their role and accountabilities on a board. Originality/value: This paper establishes that the strength of directors' identification with either the director role or expert role affects what they feel accountable for, the development of firm specific knowledge and long-term efficacy as a director. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to evaluate aging effects on the predominantly subcortical (brainstem) encoding of the second-formant frequency transition, an essential acoustic cue for perceiving place of articulation. Method: Synthetic consonant--vowel syllables varying in second-formant onset frequency (i.e., /ba/, /da/, and /ga/ stimuli) were used to elicit speech-evoked auditory brainstem responses (speech-ABRs) in 16 young adults (Mage = 21 years) and 11 older adults (Mage = 59 years). Repeated-measures mixed-model analyses of variance were performed on the latencies and amplitudes of the speech-ABR peaks. Fixed factors were phoneme (repeated measures on three levels: /b/ vs. /d/ vs. /g/) and age (two levels: young vs. older). Results: Speech-ABR differences were observed between the two groups (young vs. older adults). Specifically, older listeners showed generalized amplitude reductions for onset and major peaks. Significant Phoneme x Group interactions were not observed. Conclusions: Results showed aging effects in speech-ABR amplitudes that may reflect diminished subcortical encoding of consonants in older listeners. These aging effects were not phoneme dependent as observed using the statistical methods of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aims of the study were (a) to evaluate the effects of systematically varied factors of stimulus duration, interaural-level difference (ILD), and direction on perceptual and electrophysiological metrics of lateralization for fixed versus moving targets and (b) to evaluate the hemispheric activity underlying perception of fixed versus moving auditory targets. Method: Twelve normal-hearing, young adult listeners were evaluated using perceptual and P300 tests of lateralization. Both perceptual and P300 tests utilized stimuli that varied for type (fixed and moving), direction (right and left), duration (100 and 500 ms), and magnitude of ILD (9 and 18 dB). Listeners provided laterality judgments and stimulus-type discrimination (fixed vs. moving) judgments for all combinations of acoustic factors. During P300 recordings, listeners discriminated between left- versus right-directed targets, as the other acoustic parameters were varied. Results: ILD magnitude and stimulus type had statistically significant effects on laterality ratings, with larger magnitude ILDs and fixed type resulting in greater lateralization. Discriminability between fixed versus moving targets was dependent on stimulus duration and ILD magnitude. ILD magnitude was a significant predictor of P300 amplitude. There was a statistically significant inverse relationship between the perceived velocity of targets and P300 latency. Lateralized targets evoked contralateral hemispheric P300 activity. Moreover, a right-hemisphere enhancement was observed for fixed-type lateralized deviant stimuli. Conclusions: Perceptual and P300 findings indicate that lateralization of auditory movement is highly dependent on temporal integration. Both the behavioral and physiological findings of this study suggest that moving auditory targets with ecologically valid velocities are processed by the central auditory nervous system within a window of temporal integration that is greater than that for fixed auditory targets. Furthermore, these findings lend support for a left hemispatial perceptual bias and right hemispheric dominance for spatial listening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parity-violating (PV) gravity has recently attracted interest in several aspects. One of them is the axion–graviton coupling to test the axion–dark matter model. Moreover, by extending Chern–Simons (CS) gravity to include derivatives of a scalar field up to the second order, a more general class of PV gravity theory, which we call the CNCL model, has been proposed [M. Crisostomi et al., Phys. Rev. D, 97, 044034 (2018)]. The model can be further extended by including even higher derivatives of the scalar field and/or higher curvature terms. In this paper, we discuss the effect of parity violation in the gravitational sector on the propagation of gravitational waves from binary coalescence by introducing a model-independent parametrization of modification. Our parametrization includes the CNCL model as well as CS gravity. The effect of parity violation on the gravitational waveform is maximum when the source binary orientation to our line of sight is edge-on, while the modified waveform reduces to the parity-symmetric one when the source is face-on. We perform a search for the signature of such modification by using the LIGO/Virgo O1/O2 catalog. We find that the catalog data is consistent with general relativity and obtain constraints on parity violation in gravity for various post-Newtonian order modifications for the first time. The obtained constraint on CS gravity is consistent with the results in previous works. On the other hand, the constraint on the CNCL model that we obtain is tighter than the previous results by roughly 7 orders of magnitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Jiaodong Peninsula consists of the Jiaobei massif and the Northern Sulu UHP massif. These are separated by the Wulian suture zone (WSZ), a key region for understanding the collision between the North China Craton (NCC) and South China Block (SCB). To interpret this collisional zone, a broad-band seismic profile of 20 stations was installed across the WSZ. Shear wave splitting analysis of teleseismic data revealed a contrast in the splitting patterns beneath different structural zones of the Jiaodong Peninsula. The anisotropic structures of the Jiaobei massif and Northern Sulu UHP massif can be explained by a single anisotropic layer model with WNW-ESE or E-W oriented fast directions. In the WSZ, splitting parameters exhibit pronounced variation in backazimuths indicating a two-layer anisotropy pattern. The lower layer exhibits a WNW-ESE fast direction consistent with that observed in the other two regions. Because the fast direction is generally parallel to the present-day direction of Pacific plate subduction, the anisotropy most likely represents asthenospheric return flow in the big mantle wedge caused by Pacific plate subduction. The upper layer exhibits an NE fast direction, that is, parallel to faulting associated with the WSZ. The lithosphere may preserve fossilized anisotropy induced by the Late Triassic collision of the NCC and SCB even after subsequent destruction and thinning from the Late Mesozoic to Cenozoic. We infer that the WSZ represents a lithospheric-scale structural boundary between the NCC and SCB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to study the temporal variations in the seismic wavefield associated with the stress changes in the dynamic features of the Mt Etna volcanic activity. We used shear wave splitting analysis on a huge data set of local earthquakes, in order to identify changes of the local stress field at Mt Etna during the time interval from 2006 to 2011. This analysis allows us to obtain two parameters: the polarization direction of the fast shear wave (φ) and the time delay of the slow shear wave (T d,time delay between the split shear waves). Orientation of φ generally provides information about the anisotropic symmetry and stress direction whereas T d provide information about the average crack density along the ray path. Based on our findings it is possible to divide Etna Volcano in three different sectors, each one distinguished by typical fast wave polarization direction. We find that the western part of the volcano is controlled by the regional tectonic stress field having a NS and EW directions. Instead, the eastern part of the volcano is mainly controlled by the local volcanic stress, particularly an EW local stress field in the NE sector (Pernicana), and a quasi NS local stress field in the SE sector (Mascalucia, Timpe), where previous studies evidenced: (i) some low-Qp anomaly regions between 0 and about 6 km depth, probably associated with high pore pressure and the intense faulting and (ii) by magnetotelluric surveys, several high conductivity zones, up to 8 km depth, related to a diffuse presence of hydrothermal activity and fluid circulation. Temporal variations in time delay, mostly before the 2008–2009 lateral eruption, can be interpreted as stress accumulation increase with a consequent release of stress due to coalescing of microcracks in the conduit for the eruption of magma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel method combining electrolaryngography and acoustic analysis to detect the onset and offset of phonation as well as the beginning and ending of notes within a sung legato phrase, through the application of a peak-picking algorithm, TIMEX. The evaluation of the method applied to a set of singing duo recordings shows an overall performance of 78% within a tolerance window of 50 ms compared with manual annotations performed by three experts. Results seem very promising in light of the state-of-the-art techniques presented at MIREX in 2016 yielding an overall performance of around 60%. The new method was applied to a pilot study with two duets to analyse synchronization between singers during ensemble performances. Results from this investigation demonstrate bidirectional temporal adaptations between performers, and suggest that the precision and consistency of synchronization, and the tendency to precede or lag a co-performer might be affected by visual contact between singers and leader–follower relationships. The outcomes of this paper promise to be beneficial for future investigations of synchronization in singing ensembles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual representations of data introduce several possible challenges for the human visual perception system in perceiving brightness levels. Overcoming these challenges might be simplified by adding sound to the representation. This is called sonification. As sonification provides additional information to the visual information, sonification could be useful in supporting the visual perception. In the present study, usefulness (in terms of accuracy and response time) of sonification was investigated with an interactive sonification test. In the test, participants were asked to identify the highest brightness level in a monochrome visual representation. The task was performed in four conditions, one with no sonification and three with different sonification settings. The results show that sonification is useful, as measured by higher task accuracy, and that the participant's musicality facilitates the use of sonification with better performance when sonification was used. The results were also supported by subjective measurements, where participants reported an experienced benefit of sonification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a detector identification method that uses waveform shape analysis. This method can be used in many experimental contexts involving detectors, leading to effective data acquisition. Detector identification can additionally be used for other critical tasks, such as determining detector position. In this study, we used the proposed detector identification method to perform positron annihilation age–momentum correlation measurements. Instead, of one detector, four scintillation detectors were used for detecting 1.275 keV gamma-rays from 22Na, a positron emitter. This method resulted in a fourfold higher count rate. Therefore small scintillators that are inevitable to have a low count rate could be also used for scintillation detectors to improve the time resolution, as a favourable time resolution such as 170 ps (full width at half maximum) is often required in research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Passive electrophysiological protocols, such as the middle latency response and speech auditory brainstem response, are often advocated in the objective assessment of central auditory processing disorder (CAPD). However, few established electrophysiological protocols exist for CAPD assessment that have patients participate in active tasks which more closely approximate real-world listening. To this end, the present study used a discrimination task (i.e., oddball paradigm) to measure an enhancement of the auditory late response (N1-P2) that occurs when participants direct their auditory attention toward speech arising from an unexpected spatial location. Purpose: To establish whether N1-P2 is enhanced when auditory attention is directed toward an unexpected location during a two-word discrimination task. In addition, it was also investigated whether any enhancements in this response were contingent on the stimulus being counted as part of the oddball paradigm. Research Design: Prospective study with a repeated measures design. Study Sample: Ten normal hearing adults, with an age range of 18-24 years. Data Collection and Analysis: The N1 and P2 latencies and peak-to-peak amplitudes were recorded during a P300 paradigm. A series of repeated measures of analysis of variance and a correlation analysis was performed. Results: There was a significant effect of stimulus location, in which words arising from the unexpected location showed a larger N1-P2 peak-to-peak amplitude and an earlier N1 latency. This effect was seen regardless of whether or not participants had to count the word total in memory. Conclusions: These findings suggest that spatial enhancement of the N1-P2 is a fairly robust phenomenon in normal hearing adult listeners. Additional studies are needed to determine whether this enhancement is absent or reduced in patients with CAPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil water content (SWC) is a crucial parameter in ecology, agriculture, hydrology, and engineering studies. Research on non-invasive monitoring of SWC has been a long-lasting topic in these fields. Ground penetrating radar (GPR), a non-destructive geophysical technique, has the advantages of high resolution, deep detection depth, and high efficiency in SWC measurements at medium scale. It has been successfully applied in field investigations. This paper summarizes the recent progress in developing GPR-based SWC measurement methods, including reflected wave, ground wave, surface reflection, borehole GPR, full waveform inversion, average envelope amplitude, and frequency shift methods. The principles, advantages, limitations, and applications of these methods are described in detail. A comprehensive technical framework, which comprises the seven methods, is proposed to understand their principles and applicability. Two key procedures, namely, data acquisition and data processing, are emphasized as crucial to method applications. The suitable methods that will satisfy diverse application demands and field conditions are recommended. Future development, potential applications, and advances in hardware and data processing techniques are also highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of dynamic tests were performed where certain equipment was monitored with Acoustic Emission (AE). Resonant AE sensors were used and coupled to MISTRAS AE instrumentation. The recorded data comprises data files with 8,000 to 10,000 Hits recorded over a very short period of time <15 seconds). Of interest during these tests were AE signals that are truly indicative of transient signals that have a clear beginning and end and an exponential decay after the peak amplitude is observed. Unfortunately, the data sets were contaminated with considerable amounts of extraneous emission that could only be filtered by manually examining the waveform collected for each Hit. The use of correlation plots to separate these AE signals was helpful to a certain extent but through the process of manual data filtering, it became clear that a well-defined time-domain feature could be very efficient in separating the transient signals from extraneous emissions. This paper presents a concept for a new time-domain feature that is capable of better defining transient-like AE signals as defined above. This feature is called the Really Keen Metric (RKM) and will be presented with actual examples recorded during the above testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: It is unclear whether osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) affects gastric myoelectric activity (GMA), an index of gastric motility. We hypothesized that OMT significantly alters power spectral density (PSD) analyses of electrogastrography (EGG) recordings, an index of GMA, compared with time control OMT. Design: GMA data were obtained from nine subjects before and after OMT and time control on separate days in a cross-over design. Fifteen-minute EGG recordings were obtained before and after each intervention and after a water challenge (WC). Percent power in the normogastric range (PPN) was estimated from PSD analyses. Absolute percent change of PPN and dominant frequency (DF) from baseline to postintervention and baseline to post-WC was computed and compared using two-way repeated-measures ANOVA. Results: OMT altered PPN versus time control (time control: 5.3% ± 1.2%; OMT: 24.5% ± 4.5%; p = 0.015). WC altered PPN compared with time control (post-time control ΔPPN: 5.3% ± 1.2%; post-drink ΔPPN: 30.3% ± 7.2%; p < 0.01). However, WC did not alter PPN with prior OMT treatment (post-OMT ΔPPN: 24.5% ± 4.5%; post-WC ΔPPN: 19.4% ± 5.6%; p = 0.47). Nevertheless, OMT reduced the rate of change for DF compared with time control (WC post-time control: 37.9% ± 7.4%; WC post-OMT: 20.0% ± 5.9%; p = 0.02). Conclusions: We conclude that (1) OMT significantly alters GMA compared with time control and that (2) OMT reduces the rate of change in the frequency response to WC within the normal frequency range of 2–4 cycles per minute, indicating a physiological effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a data analysis protocol for ultrasonic velocity measurements carried out in a synchrotron x-ray facility based multi-anvil high-pressure apparatus. Synthetic ultrasonic signals for the time period between echoes from the two ends of the sample assembly are created with a few simple parameters as the echo waveform is modeled by the first echo from the anvil-assembly boundary. Each echo is modeled as a delta function with an amplitude and arrival time and convolved with this waveform. The final waveform, fit to the data, enables analysis of signals with overlapped echoes as they are common in small cell assemblies and high pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite the presence of efferent neural pathways from the cortex to brainstem, evidence for cognitive inhibition and sensory gating on the auditory brainstem has been mixed. Some previous studies have suggested auditory brainstem responses (ABR) can be affected by cognitive load whereas others have not. Purpose: The present study explores if the ABR recorded from adults with normal hearing was affected by increased cognitive load involving cognitive interference. Research Design: Within-subject repeated measures. Study Sample: Twenty young adults with normal hearing (ten females and ten males, aged 21-26 yr). Data Collection and Analysis: ABRs were collected with and without cognitive load (a visual Stroop task). Two measures of cognitive interference, that is, the ability to suppress task-irrelevant input, were derived from the performance on the Stroop task. Results: No main effect of cognitive load on ABR wave V amplitudes was found. Participants with higher cognitive interference showed increased response times and larger decreases in ABR wave V amplitudes from the no cognitive load to cognitive load conditions. Conclusions: The present study showed that ABR wave V amplitudes did not change with increased overall cognitive load (cognitive load with and without cognitive interference), but ABR amplitude was related to cognitive interference. Increased cognitive load in the form of increased cognitive interference could trigger cognitive inhibition and/or sensory gating to suppress the processing of task-irrelevant information at the level of the brainstem. This suppression could present as reduced ABR wave V amplitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: Noise suppression or signal‐to‐noise ratio enhancement is often desired for better processing results from a microseismic dataset. In this paper, a polarization–linearity and time–frequency‐thresholding‐based approach is used for denoising waveforms. A polarization–linearity filter is initially applied to preserve the signal intervals and suppress the noise amplitudes. This is followed by time–frequency thresholding for further signal‐to‐noise ratio enhancement in the S transform domain. The parameterisation for both polarization filter and time–frequency thresholding is also discussed. Finally, real microseismic data examples are shown to demonstrate the improvements in processing results when denoised waveforms are considered in the workflow. The results indicate that current denoising approach effectively suppresses the background noise and preserves the vector fidelity of signal waveform. Consequently, the quality of event detection, arrival‐time picking, and hypocenter location improves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archives across the world contain vast amounts of old or “vintage” seismic reflection data, which are largely inaccessible for geo-scientific research, due to the out-dated media on which they are stored. Despite the age of these data, they often have great potential to be of use in modern day research. It is often the case that seismic reflection data within these archives are only available as a processed stacked section, printed on paper or film. In this study, a method for the conversion (vectorization) of scanned images of stacked reflection seismic data to standard SEG-Y format is presented. The method addresses data displayed with a line denoting the waveform, where areas on one side of the baseline are shaded (i.e. wiggle trace, variable fill). The method provides an improvement on other published methods utilized within currently available academic software. Unlike previous studies, the method used to detect trace baselines and to detect and remove timelines on the seismic image is described in detail. Furthermore, a quantitative analysis of the performance of the method is presented, showing that an average trace-to-trace correlation coefficient of between 0.8 and 0.95 can be achieved for typical plotting styles. Finally, a case study where the method is applied to vectorize over 1700 km of land seismic data from the island of Gotland (Sweden) is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seasonalities of influenza-like illnesses (ILIs) and invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPDs) remain incompletely understood. Experimental evidence indicates that influenza-virus infection predisposes to pneumococcal disease, so that a correspondence in the seasonal patterns of ILIs and IPDs might exist at the population level. We developed a method to characterize seasonality by means of easily interpretable summary statistics of seasonal shape--or seasonal waveforms. Nonlinear mixed-effects models were used to estimate those waveforms based on weekly case reports of ILIs and IPDs in 5 regions spanning continental France from July 2000 to June 2014. We found high variability of ILI seasonality, with marked fluctuations of peak amplitudes and peak times, but a more conserved epidemic duration. In contrast, IPD seasonality was best modeled by a markedly regular seasonal baseline, punctuated by 2 winter peaks in late December to early January and January to February. Comparing ILI and IPD seasonal waveforms, we found indication of a small, positive correlation. Direct models regressing IPDs on ILIs provided comparable results, even though they estimated moderately larger associations. The method proposed is broadly applicable to diseases with unambiguous seasonality and is well-suited to analyze spatially or temporally grouped data, which are common in epidemiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To determine if a novel computer-generated metric, effective acceleration time, improves accuracy for detecting tardus parvus waveforms on spectral Doppler ultrasound. Methods Patients with echocardiography-confirmed aortic valve stenosis (n = 132; 60 mild, 44 moderate, 28 severe) and matched controls (n = 48) who underwent carotid Doppler ultrasound were identified through an imaging database search at a single medical center. A custom-built spectral analysis computer program generated effective acceleration time values for spectral Doppler waveforms in the carotid arteries and a receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to determine the optimal median effective acceleration time cutoff value to detect tardus parvus waveforms. Two radiologists, blinded to subject disease status, reviewed and rated all carotid sonograms for presence of tardus parvus waveforms. Inter-rater variability was measured, and the accuracy of aortic valve stenosis detection with and without use of the effective acceleration time cutoff was calculated. Results Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed an optimal effective acceleration time cutoff of ≥ 48 ms with a corresponding area under the curve of 0.77 (95% CI: 0.70–0.84). Use of the effAT cutoff demonstrated an accuracy of 74%. Accuracy of visual waveform interpretation by raters ranged from 43% to 61%. Inter-rater agreement in detection of tardus parvus waveforms was 76% (136/180 cases, K = 0.44, p < 0.001). Conclusions Detection of tardus parvus waveforms through visual interpretation of spectral Doppler waveform morphology is limited by low accuracy and moderate inter-rater variability. Use of a computer-generated median effective acceleration time cutoff value markedly improves diagnostic accuracy and avoids observer variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STUDY DESIGN: A controlled laboratory study, with a single-blind, block-randomization crossover design. OBJECTIVES: To compare the electrically elicited knee extensor torque produced by 3 clinically available waveforms: 2500-Hz burst-modulated alternating current (BMAC), 1000-Hz BMAC, and 1000-Hz burst-modulated biphasic square-wave pulsed current (BMBPC). BACKGROUND: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is the therapeutic use of electrical current to strengthen muscle. Muscle torque produced by NMES is limited by discomfort. METHODS: The knee extensor maximal volitional isometric torque (KEMVIT) of 33 able-bodied participants (18 female) was measured and used to normalize the electrically elicited knee extensor torque to produce a percent of KEMVIT (%KEMVIT). Electrically elicited isometric knee extensor torque was measured in response to each of the waveforms at the participants' maximum tolerance. RESULTS: The average maximum tolerated stimulation produced 32.0 ± 16.7 %KEMVIT with 2500-Hz BMAC, 38.2 ± 18.4 %KEMVIT with 1000- Hz BMAC, and 42.2 ± 171 %KEMVIT with 1000-Hz BMBPC. Tukey honest significant difference (HSD) post hoc testing revealed a statistically significant difference between 2500-Hz BMAC and 1000-Hz BMAC (P = .046), and between 2500-Hz BMAC and 1000-Hz BMBPC (P<.001). No statistically significant difference was found between 1000-Hz BMAC and 1000-Hz BMBPC (P = .267). CONCLUSION: For eliciting maximum knee extensor muscle torque, 1000-Hz BMBPC and 1000-Hz BMAC were similarly effective, and 2500-Hz BMAC was less effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Room reverberation alters the acoustical properties of the speech signals reaching our ears, affecting speech understanding. Therefore, it is important to understand the consequences of reverberation on auditory processing. In perceptual studies, the direct sound and early reflections of reverberated speech have been found to constitute useful energy, whereas the late reflections constitute detrimental energy. Purpose: This study investigated how various components (direct sound versus early reflections versus late reflections) of the reverberated speech are encoded in the auditory system using the speech-evoked auditory brainstem response (ABR). Research Design: Speech-evoked ABRs were recorded using reverberant stimuli created as a result of the convolution between an ongoing synthetic vowel /a/ and each of the following room impulse response (RIR) components: direct sound, early reflections, late reflections, and full reverberation. Four stimuli were produced: direct component, early component, late component, and full component. Study Sample: Twelve participants with normal hearing participated in this study. Data Collection and Analysis: Waves V and A amplitudes and latencies as well as envelope-following response (EFR) and fine structure frequency-following response (FFR) amplitudes of the speech- evoked ABR were evaluated separately with one-way repeated measures analysis of variances to determine the effect of stimulus. Post hoc comparisons using Tukey's honestly significant difference test were performed to assess significant differences between pairs of stimulus conditions. Results: For waves V and A amplitudes, a significant difference or trend toward significance was found between direct and late components, between direct and full components, and between early and late components. For waves V and A latencies, significant differences were found between direct and late components, between direct and full components, between early and late components, and between early and full components. Forthe EFR and FFR amplitudes, a significant difference ortrend toward significance was found between direct and late components, and between early and late components. Moreover, eight, three, and one participant reported the early, full, and late stimuli, respectively, to be the most perceptually similar to the direct stimulus. Conclusions: The stimuli that are acoustically most similar (direct and early) result in electrophysiological responses that are not significantly different, whereas the stimuli that are acoustically most different (direct and late, early and late) result in responses that are significantly different across all response measures. These findings provide insights toward the understanding of the effects of the different components of the RIRs on auditory processing of speech. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]