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Musical training has been associated with enhanced neural processing of sounds, as measured via the frequency following response (FFR), implying the potential for human subcortical neural plasticity. We conducted a large-scale multi-site preregistered study (n > 260) to replicate and extend the findings underpinning this important relationship. We failed to replicate any of the major findings published previously in smaller studies. Musical training was related neither to enhanced spectral encoding strength of a speech stimulus (/da/) in babble nor to a stronger neural-stimulus correlation. Similarly, the strength of neural tracking of a speech sound with a time-varying pitch was not related to either years of musical training or age of onset of musical training. Our findings provide no evidence for plasticity of early auditory responses based on musical training and exposure.

Motion-induced anxiety and agoraphobia are more frequent symptoms in patients with vestibular migraine (VM) than migraine without vertigo. The neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a therapeutic target for migraine and VM, but the link between motion hypersensitivity, anxiety, and CGRP is relatively unexplored, especially in preclinical mouse models. To further examine this link, we tested the effects of systemic CGRP and off-vertical axis rotation (OVAR) on elevated plus maze (EPM) and rotarod performance in male and female C57BL/6J mice. Rotarod ability was assessed using two different dowel diameters: mouse dowel ( r  = 1.5 cm) versus rat dowel ( r  = 3.5 cm). EPM results indicate that CGRP alone or OVAR alone did not increase anxiety indices. However, the combination of CGRP and OVAR did elicit anxiety-like behavior. On the rotarod, CGRP reduced performance in both sexes on a mouse dowel but had no effect on a rat dowel, whereas OVAR had a significant effect on the rat dowel. These results suggest that only the combination of CGRP with vestibular stimulation induces anxiety-like behavior and that CGRP affects the dynamic balance function in mice depending on the type of challenge presented. These findings suggest that anxiety-like behaviors can be teased out from imbalance behaviors in a mouse model of "migraine." Future studies are aimed to determine if CGRP receptor antagonists that have been effective treating migraineurs and mouse "migraine" models may also reduce the anxiety observed in migraine., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests., (Copyright © 2024 Rahman et al.)

Objectives: This study was designed to prospectively evaluate the feasibility of an opioid-free anesthesia protocol and describe the quality of recovery and management of postoperative analgesia in dogs after a tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO)., Methods: In total, 20 dogs presented for TPLO were included. After premedication with intravenous (IV) medetomidine (0.005-0.007 mg/kg) and midazolam (0.2 mg/kg), the dogs were anesthetized using ketamine (2 mg/kg) and propofol and maintained with isoflurane and ketamine CRI (0.6 mg/kg/h). Sciatic and femoral nerve blocks were performed with bupivacaine 0.5% (0.087 +/- 0.01 and 0.09 +/- 0.02 mL/kg, respectively). Meloxicam (0.2 mg/kg IV) was administered intraoperatively, after osteotomy. Fentanyl (0.002 mg/kg IV) was administered intraoperatively, as rescue analgesia in the case of sustained increase in cardiorespiratory variables. Two pain scores (French 4A-VET and Glasgow short form) were performed at conscious sternal recumbency and 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 20 h after extubation and compared to baseline using a Friedman test followed by a Nemenyi post-hoc test. The time taken for the first food intake and urination was reported., Results: Intraoperative opioid-free anesthesia was feasible in 11 dogs, whereas 9 dogs received fentanyl once during arthrotomy. No opioid postoperative rescue analgesia was required. Food intake occurred within 6 h, and all dogs were discharged after 24 h without any complication., Conclusion: Total opioid-free postoperative analgesia was achieved in all dogs, with adequate recoveries. Although opioid-free anesthesia was feasible in 55% of the population, a single dose of fentanyl was necessary in 45% of the dogs during arthrotomy., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Didier, Faucher, Sarra Ferrer, Lapouge, Junot and Jourdan.)

Because of their large surface areas, nanotubes and nanowires demonstrate exquisite mechanical coupling to their surroundings, promising advanced sensors and nanomechanical devices. However, this environmental sensitivity has resulted in several ambiguous observations of vibrational coupling across various experiments. Herein, we demonstrate a temperature-dependent Radial Breathing Mode (RBM) frequency in free-standing, electron-diffraction-assigned Double-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (DWNTs) that shows an unexpected and thermally reversible frequency downshift of 10 to 15%, for systems isolated in vacuum. An analysis based on a harmonic oscillator model assigns the distinctive frequency cusp, produced over 93 scans of 3 distinct DWNTs, along with the hyperbolic trajectory, to a reversible increase in damping from graphitic ribbons on the exterior surface. Strain-dependent coupling from self-tensioned, suspended DWNTs maintains the ratio of spring-to-damping frequencies, producing a stable saturation of RBM in the low-tension limit. In contrast, when the interior of DWNTs is subjected to a water-filling process, the RBM thermal trajectory is altered to that of a Langmuir isobar and elliptical trajectories, allowing measurement of the enthalpy of confined fluid phase change. These mechanisms and quantitative theory provide new insights into the environmental coupling of nanomechanical systems and the implications for devices and nanofluidic conduits., (© 2024. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.)

Introduction: The pelvic floor muscles (PFMs) have been suggested to play a key role in sexual function and response in women. However, syntheses of the evidence thus far have been limited to interventional studies in women with pelvic pain or pelvic floor disorders, and these studies have failed to fully capture the involvement of the PFMs in a broader population., Aim: We sought to appraise the evidence regarding the role of the PFMs in sexual function/response in women without pelvic pain or pelvic floor disorders. More specifically, we examined the following: (1) effects of treatment modalities targeting the PFMs on sexual function/response, (2) associations between PFM function and sexual function/response, and (3) differences in PFM function between women with and those without sexual dysfunction., Methods: We searched for all available studies in eight electronic databases. We included interventional studies evaluating the effects of PFM modalities on sexual outcomes, as well as observational studies investigating the association between PFM function and sexual outcomes or the differences in PFM function in women with and those without sexual dysfunction. The quality of each study was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Estimates were pooled using random-effects meta-analyses whenever possible, or a narrative synthesis of the results was provided., Main Outcomes: The main outcomes were sexual function (based on a questionnaire)/sexual response (based on physiological test), and PFM function (assessment of the PFM parameters such as strength and tone based on various methods)., Results: A total of 33 studies were selected, including 14 interventional and 19 observational studies, most of which (31/33) were deemed of moderate or high quality. Ten out of 14 interventional studies in women with and without sexual dysfunctions showed that PFM modalities had a significant effect on sexual function. Regarding the observational studies, a meta-analysis revealed a significant moderate association between PFM strength and sexual function (r = 0.41; 95% CI, 0.08-066). Of the 7 observational studies performed to assess sexual response, all showed that the PFMs were involved in arousal or orgasm. Conflicting results were found in the 3 studies that evaluated differences in PFM function in women with and those without sexual dysfunction., Clinical Implications: Our results highlight the contribution of the PFMs in sexual function/response., Strengths and Limitations: One strength of this review is the inclusion of a broad range of study designs and outcomes, allowing a thorough synthesis of evidence. However, interpretations of these data should consider risk of bias in the studies, small sample sizes, and the absence of control/comparison groups., Conclusion: The findings of this review support the involvement of the PFMs in sexual function/response in women without pelvic pain or pelvic dysfunction. Well-designed studies should be performed to further investigate PFM modalities as part of the management of sexual dysfunction., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The International Society of Sexual Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Motion-induced anxiety and agoraphobia are more frequent symptoms in patients with vestibular migraine than migraine without vertigo. The neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a therapeutic target for migraine and vestibular migraine, but the link between motion hypersensitivity, anxiety, and CGRP is relatively unexplored, especially in preclinical mouse models. To further examine this link, we tested the effects of systemic CGRP and off-vertical axis rotation (OVAR) on elevated plus maze (EPM) and rotarod performance in male and female C57BL/6J mice. Rotarod ability was assessed using two different dowel diameters: mouse dowel (r = 1.5 cm) versus rat dowel (r = 3.5 cm). EPM results indicate CGRP increased anxiety indexes and time spent in the closed arms in females but not males, while OVAR increased anxiety indexes and time spent in the closed arms in both sexes. The combination of CGRP and OVAR elicited even greater anxiety-like behavior. On the rotarod, CGRP reduced performance in both sexes on a mouse dowel but had no effect on a rat dowel, whereas OVAR had a significant effect on the rat dowel. Rotarod performance is influenced by dowel diameter, with larger dowels presenting greater challenges on balance function. These results suggest that both CGRP and vestibular stimulation induce anxiety-like behavior and that CGRP affects dynamic balance function in mice depending on the type of challenge presented. Findings highlight the potential translation of anti-CGRP receptor signaling therapeutics for treating motion hypersensitivity and motion-induced anxiety that manifests in vestibular migraine., Significance Statement: Anxiety is very common in patients with dizziness and vestibular migraine (VM). Elevated CGRP levels have been linked to migraine symptoms of increased light and touch sensitivity in mice and humans and we wondered if a systemic injection of CGRP into mice would increase anxiety and imbalance; and if mice further exposed to a vestibular stimulus would have their anxiety measures sharpened. We observed a female preponderance in both CGRP and motion-induced anxiety-like behaviors, suggesting that the role of CGRP in migraine's anxiety symptoms can be recapitulated in the mouse. Our findings suggest that CGRP signaling has a pertinent role in motion-induced anxiety and dynamic imbalance, and warrants the potential use of anti-CGRP therapies for the treatment of these symptoms.

Confined fluids and electrolyte solutions in nanopores exhibit rich and surprising physics and chemistry that impact the mass transport and energy efficiency in many important natural systems and industrial applications. Existing theories often fail to predict the exotic effects observed in the narrowest of such pores, called single-digit nanopores (SDNs), which have diameters or conduit widths of less than 10 nm, and have only recently become accessible for experimental measurements. What SDNs reveal has been surprising, including a rapidly increasing number of examples such as extraordinarily fast water transport, distorted fluid-phase boundaries, strong ion-correlation and quantum effects, and dielectric anomalies that are not observed in larger pores. Exploiting these effects presents myriad opportunities in both basic and applied research that stand to impact a host of new technologies at the water-energy nexus, from new membranes for precise separations and water purification to new gas permeable materials for water electrolyzers and energy-storage devices. SDNs also present unique opportunities to achieve ultrasensitive and selective chemical sensing at the single-ion and single-molecule limit. In this review article, we summarize the progress on nanofluidics of SDNs, with a focus on the confinement effects that arise in these extremely narrow nanopores. The recent development of precision model systems, transformative experimental tools, and multiscale theories that have played enabling roles in advancing this frontier are reviewed. We also identify new knowledge gaps in our understanding of nanofluidic transport and provide an outlook for the future challenges and opportunities at this rapidly advancing frontier.

Recent measurements of fluids under extreme confinement, including water within narrow carbon nanotubes, exhibit marked deviations from continuum theoretical descriptions. In this work, we generate precise carbon nanotube replicates that are filled with water, closed from external mass transfer, and studied over a wide temperature range by Raman spectroscopy. We study segments that are empty, partially filled, and completely filled with condensed water from -80 to 120 °C. Partially filled, nanodroplet states contain submicron vapor-like and liquid-like domains and are analyzed using a Clausius-Clapeyron-type model, yielding heats of condensation of water inside closed 1.32 nm diameter carbon nanotubes (3.32 ± 0.10 kJ/mol and 3.72 ± 0.11 kJ/mol) and 1.45 nm diameter carbon nanotubes (3.50 ± 0.07 kJ/mol) that are lower than the bulk enthalpy of vaporization and closer to the bulk enthalpy of fusion. Favored partial filling fractions are calculated, highlighting the effect of subnanometer changes in confining diameter on fluid properties and suggesting the promise of molecular engineering of nanoconfined liquid/vapor interfaces for water treatment or membrane distillation.

Quantum emitters in two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) are of significant interest because of their unique photophysical properties, such as single-photon emission at room temperature, and promising applications in quantum computing and communications. The photoemission from hBN defects covers a wide range of emission energies but identifying and modulating the properties of specific emitters remain challenging due to uncontrolled formation of hBN defects. In this study, more than 2000 spectra are collected consisting of single, isolated zero-phonon lines (ZPLs) between 1.59 and 2.25 eV from diverse sample types. Most of ZPLs are organized into seven discretized emission energies. All emitters exhibit a range of lifetimes from 1 to 6 ns, and phonon sidebands offset by the dominant lattice phonon in hBN near 1370 cm -1 . Two chemical processing schemes are developed based on water and boric acid etching that generate or preferentially interconvert specific emitters, respectively. The identification and chemical interconversion of these discretized emitters should significantly advance the understanding of solid-state chemistry and photophysics of hBN quantum emission., (© 2023 IOP Publishing Ltd.)

Legiolert is a rapid culture-based enzymatic method for the detection and quantification of Legionella pneumophila in potable and nonpotable water samples. We aimed to assess the ability of this assay to detect diverse sequence types and validated a simple method to preserve samples. We used this assay on 253 potable and 165 nonpotable cooling tower water samples from various buildings in Québec, Canada, and performed sequence-based typing on 96 isolates. Six sequence types were identified, including ST1, ST378, ST1427, ST2859, ST3054, and ST3069. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that ST2859 was a member of the L. pneumophila subspecies fraseri. Additional tests with pure isolates also found that subspecies Pascullei and Raphaeli could be detected via Legiolert. Eight storage methods, including the current recommendation to store Legiolert trays at 4°C, were evaluated for their ability to preserve viable cultures. Of those, storage of Legiolert culture with 10% glycerol at -80°C produced the best results, fully preserving culturable Legionella for at least 12.5 months. We incorporated these findings into a standard procedure for processing Legiolert packets. Overall, Legiolert captures a variety of common and new STs in addition to important L. pneumophila subspecies and can be easily stored, which allows the conservation of a population of isolates for later characterization. IMPORTANCE Legionnaires' disease is caused by the bacterium Legionella pneumophila, which can be found in a variety of water systems. When outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease occur, it is necessary to find the water systems transmitting the bacterium to humans. Access to historical isolates from water system samples is key for success in identifying sources but current regulations and isolation protocols mean very few isolates are obtained and stored long-term. We showed here that the Legiolert test could detect and produce isolates of a variety of L. pneumophila subspecies and types. In addition, the Legiolert test medium containing a representative population of isolates could be preserved for at least 12 months at -80°C with the addition of glycerol to the test medium. Therefore, we confirmed that the Legiolert method could be a useful tool for retrospective analysis of potential sources for an outbreak.

Artificial audition aims at providing hearing capabilities to machines, computers and robots. Existing frameworks in robot audition offer interesting sound source localization, tracking and separation performance, although involve a significant amount of computations that limit their use on robots with embedded computing capabilities. This paper presents ODAS, the Open embeddeD Audition System framework, which includes strategies to reduce the computational load and perform robot audition tasks on low-cost embedded computing systems. It presents key features of ODAS, along with cases illustrating its uses in different robots and artificial audition applications., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Grondin, Létourneau, Godin, Lauzon, Vincent, Michaud, Faucher and Michaud.)

Summary Statement: We present a new simulation-based challenge (Sim'Cup) concept, created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It took place in 2020, during the European Society of Emergency Medicine and the Societé Française de Médecine d'Urgence (SFMU) conferences. Usually, during the conferences, a Sim'Cup is held with onsite participants who are involved in a consecutive series of face-to-face simulations organized in 2 qualifying rounds, followed by a final round. When congresses were transformed into online events, the Sim'Cup had to evolve into a virtual format as well. We developed the e-Sim'Cup concept as follows: participants staying safely at home, piloting the trainers, as if they were their own avatar, in a simulation room with a full-scale high-fidelity manikin (Gaumard, Laerdal) using real-time scenarios. Participants gave instructions to the avatars through a smartphone and via a website. Each team participated in 2 scenarios. At the end of each scenario, teams had to undergo a self-debriefing, followed by a short debriefing with the organizers. Twenty-seven participants divided into 9 teams participated in 1 of the 2 e-Sim'Cup events.We evaluated the impact of this approach using the Educational Practices Questionnaire, and we also analyzed the participants' perception of their satisfaction and their feelings of improvement with this virtual format. Moreover, we conducted qualitative analyses of the self-debriefings. Thirteen participants filled out the questionnaire, giving a combined high Educational Practices Questionnaire score [72 (66.5-77) of 80], which reflects the presence of educational best practices during the e-Sim'Cups. They appreciated the adjusted Sim'Cup format and believed that they were able to improve their communication, clinical skills, and self-confidence. The qualitative analysis suggested that the approach was perceived as immersive by the 27 participants, with some challenges due to technical problems but an overall feeling of improvement regarding their crisis resource management skills. The hybrid remote simulation concept satisfied the participants who believed that it improved important skills in emergency medicine. The increasing number of remote activities and conferences lead us to believe that our e-Sim'Cup concept can be easily reproducible in any simulation center, as it requires only the application of the educational concept and either the use of the website or the use of some widely available technical devices., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Society for Simulation in Healthcare.)

Intermittent reduction of temperature set-points and periodic shutdowns of water heaters have been proposed to reduce energy consumption in buildings. However, the consequences of such measures on the occurrence and proliferation of Legionella pneumophila ( Lp ) in hot water systems have not been documented. The impact of single and repeated heat shocks was investigated using an environmental strain of L. pneumophila and a reference strain of V. vermiformis . Heat shocks at temperatures ranging from 50 °C to 70 °C were applied for 1 h and 4 h in water and water heaters loose deposits (sludge). The regrowth potential of heat-treated culturable L. pneumophila in presence of V. vermiformis in water heaters sludges was evaluated. A 2.5-log loss of culturability of L. pneumophila was observed in simulated drinking water at 60 °C while a 4-log reduction was reached in water heaters loose deposits. Persistence of Lp after 4 h at 55 °C was shown and the presence of V. vermiformis in water heater's loose deposits resulted in a drastic amplification (5-log). Results show that thermal inactivation by heat shock is only efficient at elevated temperatures (50 °C) in both water and loose deposits. The few remaining organisms can rapidly proliferate during storage at lower temperature in the presence of hosts.