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Many studies in affective neuroscience rely on statistical procedures designed to estimate population averages and base their main conclusions on group averages. However, the obvious unit of analysis in affective neuroscience is the individual, not the group, because emotions are individual phenomena that typically vary across individuals. Conclusions based on group averages may therefore be misleading or wrong, if interpreted as statements about emotions of an individual, or meaningless, if interpreted as statements about the group, which has no emotions. We therefore advocate the Single-N design as the default strategy in research on emotions, testing one or several individuals extensively with the primary purpose of obtaining results at the individual level. In neuroscience, the equivalent to the Single-N design is deep imaging, the emerging trend of extensive measurements of activity in single brains. Apart from the fact that individuals react differently to emotional stimuli, they also vary in shape and size of their brains. Group-based analysis of brain imaging data therefore refers to an “average brain” that was activated in a way that may not be representative of the physiology of any of the tested individual brains, nor of how these brains responded to the experimental stimuli. Deep imaging avoids such group-averaging artifacts by simply focusing on the individual brain. This methodological shift toward individual analysis has already opened new research areas in fields like vision science. Inspired by this, we call for a corresponding shift in affective neuroscience, away from group averages, and toward experimental designs targeting the individual.

Echolocation is the ability to gather information from sound reflections. Most previous studies have focused on the ability to detect sound reflections, others on the ability to localize sound reflections, but no previous study has compared the two abilities in the same individuals. Our study compared echo-detection (reflecting object present or not?) and echo-localization (reflecting object to the left or right?) in 10 inexperienced sighted participants across 10 distances (1–4.25 m) to the reflecting object, using an automated system for studying human echolocation. There were substantial individual differences, particularly in the performance on the echo-localization task. However, most participants performed better on the detection than the localization task, in particular at the closest distances (1 and 1.7 m), illustrating that it sometimes may be hard to perceive whether an audible reflection came from the left or right.

It is not unusual that people have to write in an environment where background speech is present. Background speech can vary in both speech intelligibility and location of the sound source. Earlier ...

The data presented in this article are related to our research article entitled “Effects of sound pressure level and visual perceptual load on the auditory mismatch negativity” (M. Szychowska, R. Eklund, M.E. Nilsson, S. Wiens, 2016) [1] . The duration MMN was recorded at three sound pressure levels (SPLs) during two levels of visual perceptual load. In an oddball paradigm (standard=75 ms, deviant=30 ms, within-subjects design), participants were presented with tones at 56, 66, or 76 dB SPL (between-subjects design). At the same time, participants focused on a letter-detection task (find X in a circle of six letters). In separate blocks, perceptual load was either low (the six letters were the same) or high (the six letters differed). In the first data collection, tones had only 76 dB SPL [2] . In a follow-up data collection with exactly the same procedure, tones had 56 and 66 dB SPL [1] . Here, we report the procedure, the recording of electroencephalography (EEG) and its preprocessing in terms of event-related potentials (ERPs), the preprocessing of behavioral data, as well as the grand mean ERPs in figures. For each participant, the reported ERP data include mean amplitudes for standards, deviants, and the difference wave (MMN) at Fz (with tip of nose as a reference), separately for the combinations of SPL and load. Reported behavioral data include the signal-detection measure d’ as an index of detection performance.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to report the distribution of patients with early implant failures after implant treatment in the edentulous jaw with regard to age at surgery and association with patient mortality over a 15-year period. Materials and Methods: All consecutively treated patients treated in the edentulous jaw at a single specialist clinic from 1986 to 1997 were included and followed up for 1 year for implant failures and for 15 years with regard to patient mortality. Patients were arranged into age groups, and life tables for patients and reference groups of patients with comparable age (based on national population data) were calculated. Log rank test was used to test differences in patient survival between those with reported early implant failures and those with no early failures. Mantel-Haenszel chi-square test was used to test association between proportions of implant failures and age groups. Results: A total of 55 patients were excluded because they were not living in Sweden (nonresidents/emigrated). Altogether, 2,566 patients were included, with a mean age of 65 years (SD: 11). Of these, 988 patients were deceased during the 15 years of followup (38%), and 291 presented an early implant failure (11.3%), most of them before prosthesis placement (72%). Patients with early implant failures presented higher mortality rates than patients with no failures (P < .05), and failure rates decreased consistently from younger to higher age groups (P < .05). Conclusion: Patients in the younger age groups showed an increased mortality compared with the reference group (P < .05) and a higher prevalence of early failures compared with older patients (P < .05). Older patients showed an opposing pattern of lower mortality compared with reference groups of comparable age (P < .05), but both younger and older patients with early failures showed a higher mortality compared to patients with no failures (P < .05).

Is semantic priming driven by the objective or perceived meaning of the priming stimulus? This question is relevant given that many studies suggest that the objective meaning of invisible stimuli can influence cognitive processes and behavior. In an experiment involving 66 participants, we tested how the perceived meaning of misperceived stimuli influenced response times. Stroop priming (i.e., longer response times for incongruent than for congruent prime-target pairs) was observed in trials in which the prime was correctly identified. However, reversed Stroop priming was observed when the prime stimulus was incorrectly identified. Even in trials in which participants reported no perception of the prime and identified the primes at close to chance level (i.e., trials that meet both subjective and objective definitions of being subliminal), Stroop priming corresponded to perceived congruency, not objective congruency. This result suggests that occasional weak percepts and mispercepts are intermixed with no percepts in conditions traditionally claimed to be subliminal, casting doubt on claims of subliminal priming made in previous reports.

The reminiscence bump is the disproportionally high reporting of autobiographical memories from adolescence and early adulthood and is typically observed when memories are evoked by cues, such as words, pictures, and sounds. However, when odors are used the bump shifts to early childhood. Although these findings indicate that sensory modality affects the bump, the influence of the individual's sensory function on the reminiscence bumps is unknown. We examined the reminiscence bumps of sound- and odor-evoked autobiographical memories of early blind and sighted individuals, since early blindness implies considerable effects on sensory experience. Despite differences in sensory experience between blind and sighted individuals, the groups displayed similar age distributions of both sound- and odor-evoked memories. The auditory bump spanned the first two decades of life, whereas the olfactory bump was once again found in early childhood. These results demonstrate that the reminiscence bumps are robust to fundamental differences in sensory experience.

Listeners have limited access to spatial information in lagging sound, a phenomenon known as discrimination suppression. It is unclear whether discrimination suppression works differently for interaural time differences (ITDs) and interaural level differences (ILDs). To explore this, three listeners assessed the lateralization (left or right) and detection (present or not) of lag clicks with a large fixed ITD (350 μs) or ILD (10 dB) following a diotic lead click, with inter-click intervals (ICIs) of 0.125-256 ms. Performance was measured on a common scale for both cues: the lag-lead amplitude ratio [dB] at 75% correct answers. The main finding was that the lateralization thresholds, but not detection thresholds, were more strongly elevated for ITD-only than ILD-only clicks at intermediate ICIs (1-8 ms) in which previous research has found the strongest discrimination suppression effects. Altogether, these findings suggest that discrimination suppression involves mechanisms that make spatial information conveyed by lag-click ITDs less accessible to listeners than spatial information conveyed by lag-click ILDs.

This study explored the ability of blind and sighted listeners to detect reflections, "echoes", of burst trains or continuous noise. Echo detection was compared by presenting 5 ms bursts, rates from 1 to 64 bursts, with a continuous white noise, all during 500 ms. Sounds were recorded in an ordinary room through an artificial binaural head, the loudspeaker 1 m behind it. The reflecting object was an aluminum disk, diameter 0.5 m, placed at 1 m. The sounds were presented to 12 blind and 26 sighted participants in a laboratory using a 2-Alternative-Forced-Choice methodology. The task was to detect which of two sounds contained an echo. In Experiment 2, 1.5 m distance sounds were presented to the blind only. At 1 m, detection for the blind increased up to 64 bursts/500 ms, but for the sighted up to 32 bursts. At 1.5 m, the peak performance for the blind was at 32 bursts. At the 1 m, but not at the 1.5 m distance, the blind performed best with continuous white noise. The overlap in time of signal and echo at 1 m for 64 bursts was 60%, but at 1.5 m 82%. Avoiding an overlap between emitted bursts and returning echoes seems important for echolocation, indicating that an acoustic gaze, analogous to in echolocating animals, may also exist in humans.

Blind people use auditory information to locate sound sources and sound-reflecting objects (echolocation). Sound source localization benefits from the hearing system's ability to suppress distracting sound reflections, whereas echolocation would benefit from “unsuppressing” these reflections. To clarify how these potentially conflicting aspects of spatial hearing interact in blind versus sighted listeners, we measured discrimination thresholds for two binaural location cues: inter-aural level differences (ILDs) and inter-aural time differences (ITDs). The ILDs or ITDs were present in single clicks, in the leading component of click pairs, or in the lagging component of click pairs, exploiting processes related to both sound source localization and echolocation. We tested 23 blind (mean age = 54 y), 23 sighted-age-matched (mean age = 54 y), and 42 sighted-young (mean age = 26 y) listeners. The results suggested greater ILD sensitivity for blind than for sighted listeners. The blind group's superiority was particularly evident for ILD-lag-click discrimination, suggesting not only enhanced ILD sensitivity in general but also increased ability to unsuppress lagging clicks. This may be related to the blind person's experience of localizing reflected sounds, for which ILDs may be more efficient than ITDs. On the ITD-discrimination tasks, the blind listeners performed better than the sighted age-matched listeners, but not better than the sighted young listeners. ITD sensitivity declines with age, and the equal performance of the blind listeners compared to a group of substantially younger listeners is consistent with the notion that blind people's experience may offset age-related decline in ITD sensitivity.

If the survival function of a random variable X lies to the right of the survival function of a random variable Y, then X is said to stochastically dominate Y. Inferring stochastic dominance is particularly complicated because comparing survival functions raises four possible hypotheses: identical survival functions, dominance of X over Y, dominance of Y over X, or crossing survival functions. In this paper, we suggest four-decision tests for stochastic dominance suitable for paired samples. The tests are permutation-based and do not rely on distributional assumptions. One-sided Cramér–von Mises and Kolmogorov–Smirnov statistics are employed but the general idea may be utilized with other test statistics. The power to detect dominance and the different types of wrong decisions are investigated in an extensive simulation study. The proposed tests are applied to data from an experiment concerning the individual’s willingness to pay for a given environmental improvement.

Many blind people learn to use sound reflections to localize objects. However, precedence-effect research has reported evidence both for and against the possibility to improve lateralization of lag clicks preceded by lead clicks. This training study used stimuli more relevant to human echolocation than did previous training studies. One participant, the author, practiced lateralizing a lag-click inter-aural level difference (ILD) of 10 dB for 60 days, with performance measured in the lag–lead peak amplitude ratio at threshold. Clear improvements were observed at interclick intervals of 2–18 ms, suggesting that extracting a large lag-click ILD may improve with practice.

Intranasal oxytocin (OT) has previously been found to increase spirituality, an effect moderated by OT-related genotypes. This pre-registered study sought to conceptually replicate and extend those findings. Using a single dose of intranasal OT vs placebo (PL), we investigated experimental treatment effects, and moderation by OT-related genotypes on spirituality, mystical experiences, and the sensed presence of a sentient being. A more exploratory aim was to test for interactions between treatment and the personality disposition absorption on these spirituality-related outcomes. A priming plus sensory deprivation procedure that has facilitated spiritual experiences in previous studies was used. The sample (N = 116) contained both sexes and was drawn from a relatively secular context. Results failed to conceptually replicate both the main effects of treatment and the treatment by genotype interactions on spirituality. Similarly, there were no such effects on mystical experiences or sensed presence. However, the data suggested an interaction between treatment and absorption. Relative to PL, OT seemed to enhance spiritual experiences in participants scoring low in absorption and dampen spirituality in participants scoring high in absorption.

Rapid development of high-throughput DNA analyzation methods has enabled global characterization of genetic landscapes and aberrations in study subjects in a time and cost effective fashion. In most methods, however, spatial tissue context is lost since sample preparation requires isolation of nucleic acids out of their native environment. We hereby present the most recent protocol for multiplexed, in situ detection of mRNAs and single nucleotide polymorphisms using padlock probes and rolling circle amplification. We take advantage of a single nucleotide variant within conserved ACTB mRNA to successfully differentiate human and mice cocultured cells and apply presented protocol to genotype PCDH X and Y homologs in human brain. We provide a method for automated characterization and quantitation of target mRNA in single cells or chosen tissue area. mRNA of interest, harboring a polymorphism, is first reverse-transcribed to cDNA. Allele specific padlock probes are hybridized to the cDNA target and enzymatically circularized maintaining a physical link with the parent mRNA molecule. Lastly, circularized probes are replicated in situ, using rolling circle amplification mechanism to facilitate detection.

The country-of-origin effect is a topic central to the field of international marketing. Country of origin has been found to exert a particularly potent effect on consumer evaluation in situations ...

Public transport mobility is restricted for the vulnerable travelers, e.g., those with functional limitations. By removing barriers, a more flexible and independent travel behavior is accomplished. For whole-trip traveling, we model accessibility as a three-way reciprocal relationship among travelers’ functional ability, barriers met and resulting travel behaviors. For every journey and destination, an accessibility measure is constructed from all barriers’ weights and the probabilities of encountering each of them in traveling to specific destinations. The accessibility to whole-trip traveling is then modeled by travelers’ individual weightings of sets of barriers and the probabilities of encountering them. By using specific reference values, as in master scaling, we estimate the measurement error for each participant’s perceived effort to overcome a certain barrier, and thus obtain a calibrated measure of accessibility. We conclude that customized abatement procedures must accomplish better accessibility for all, especially for the vulnerable travelers.

We demonstrate detection of DNA coils formed from a Vibrio cholerae DNA target at picomolar concentrations using a novel optomagnetic approach exploiting the dynamic behavior and optical anisotropy of magnetic nanobead (MNB) assemblies. We establish that the complex second harmonic optical transmission spectra of MNB suspensions measured upon application of a weak uniaxial AC magnetic field correlate well with the rotation dynamics of the individual MNBs. Adding a target analyte to the solution leads to the formation of permanent MNB clusters, namely, to the suppression of the dynamic MNB behavior. We prove that the optical transmission spectra are highly sensitive to the formation of permanent MNB clusters and, thereby to the target analyte concentration. As a specific clinically relevant diagnostic case, we detect DNA coils formed via padlock probe recognition and isothermal rolling circle amplification and benchmark against a commercial equipment. The results demonstrate the fast optomagnetic readout of rolling circle products from bacterial DNA utilizing the dynamic properties of MNBs in a miniaturized and low-cost platform requiring only a transparent window in the chip.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) were recently discovered as a class of widely expressed noncoding RNA and have been implicated in regulation of gene expression. However, the function of the majority of circRNAs remains unknown. Studies of circRNAs have been hampered by a lack of essential approaches for detection, quantification and visualization. We therefore developed a target-enrichment sequencing method suitable for high-throughput screening of circRNAs and their linear counterparts. We also applied padlock probes and in situ sequencing to visualize and determine circRNAs localization in human brain tissue at subcellular levels. We measured circRNA abundance across different human samples and tissues. Our results demonstrate the potential of this RNA class to act as a specific diagnostic marker in blood and serum, by detection of circRNAs from genes exclusively expressed in the brain. The powerful and scalable tools we present will enable studies of circRNA function and facilitate screening of circRNA as diagnostic biomarkers.

We demonstrate real-time experimental evidence for mass underestimation, to analyse high molecular weight biomolecules while using Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) platform. For this, we present an experimental evidence with an assay consisting of an aptamer-antibody sandwich model with norovirus-like particles (NoVLPs). We combine this with the proximity ligation assay to generate bulky rolling circle products on a gold spot centralized quartz resonator surface. Real-time monitoring of the assay build-up reflects that bulky NoVLPs and amplified oligonucleotides generate fluctuating signals during measurement using a microfluidic QCM sensor. Such an understanding of mass underestimation for heavier molecules becomes indispensable to get deeper insights into molecular interactions in biotechnology studied using QCM devices.

Is semantic priming driven by the objective or perceived meaning of the priming stimulus? This question is relevant given that many studies suggest that the objective meaning of invisible stimuli can influence cognitive processes and behavior. In an experiment involving 66 participants, we tested how the perceived meaning of misperceived stimuli influenced response times. Stroop priming (i.e., longer response times for incongruent than for congruent prime-target pairs) was observed in trials in which the prime was correctly identified. However, reversed Stroop priming was observed when the prime stimulus was incorrectly identified. Even in trials in which participants reported no perception of the prime and identified the primes at close to chance level (i.e., trials that meet both subjective and objective definitions of being subliminal), Stroop priming corresponded to perceived congruency, not objective congruency. This result suggests that occasional weak percepts and mispercepts are intermixed with no percepts in conditions traditionally claimed to be subliminal, casting doubt on claims of subliminal priming made in previous reports.

Antibiotic susceptibility testing is important to guide clinicians in their choice of antibiotic used for treatment of bacterial infections. Current methods are time-consuming and more rapid alternatives are needed. Here, we describe a novel rapid method for antibiotic susceptibility testing which combines phenotypic and genotypic measurements. The use of padlock probes and rolling circle amplification allows for fast and precise determination of antibiotic susceptibilities as well as species identification.

Padlock and selector probes are versatile tools that have been used and developed as great alternatives to molecular methods for the detection of nucleic acid sequences in the context of medicine. Their application has been proven to be useful in different areas from targeted sequencing, genotyping, and molecular diagnostics to the development of novel biosensors and techniques. This chapter describes the molecular functioning of these probes, in combination with DNA ligase-assisted specific circularization and isothermal rolling circle amplification, their properties, and their main applications in the field of medicine to date. It shows the potential of these approaches for developing assays that can be integrated into assays or instruments that will enable and improve access to information valuable for molecular medicine research and for improving medical diagnostics.

Learning in perceptual tasks is typically highly specific to the trained stimulus parameters. However, can learning be specific to a stimulus parameter that is perceptually indistinguishable from another? We assessed this question using a perceived sound location task in which the perceived sound location was created through either an interaural time difference (ITD) cue or an interaural level difference (ILD) cue. We used the same transient, broadband sound (clicks) for both cues, and after training on one of the cues, listeners switched cue mid-session. This allowed us to assess cue specificity or transfer when the subjectively unnoticed cue switch occurred. One group of listeners improved their ITD performance as a function of training, but deteriorated in performance when switching to ILD in mid training session. Another group of listeners started with ILD training; their improved performance level did not deteriorate as they switched to the ITD cue. This transfer asymmetry was not hypothesized, and we therefore extended our study with a second data collection. Both the training effect and the transfer asymmetry remained after the second data collection. Our results indicate (a) listeners can improve both their ITD and ILD performance for click sounds, extending previous findings on tones; (b) learning can be specific to a stimulus parameter that is indistinguishable from another, as ITD learning did not transfer to ILD performance; but (c) ILD learning can transfer to ITD performance. This transfer asymmetry may have occurred because of how ITD and ILD are coded in early brainstem areas.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the joint effect of job strain and both road-traffic and occupational noise on myocardial infarction (MI). METHOD: We conducted a population based case–control study on first time MI in Stockholm County during 1992–1994. Participants answered a questionnaire and underwent a physical examination. Residential road-traffic noise exposure was based on residential history combined with information on traffic intensity and distance to nearby roads. Occupational noise exposure was assessed by occupational history combined with a job-exposure matrix derived from measurements. Job strain was based on questions regarding psychological demands and decision latitude. A total of 3050 study participants (1252 cases and 1798 controls) were included in the study. RESULTS: An increased risk of MI was indicated among participants exposed to road-traffic noise [odds ratio (OR) 1.23, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.01–1.51], occupational noise (OR 1.17, 95% CI 0.98–1.41) and job strain (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.17–1.65). Participants exposed to one, two, or three of these factors showed an increased risk (OR 1.16, 95% CI 0.97–1.40, OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.24–1.98, and OR 2.27, 95% CI 1.41–3.64, respectively). Exposure to two or three of these factors occurred among about 20% of the controls. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that exposure to a combination of noise exposure and job strain increases the risk of MI substantially. Such exposures affect a considerable part of the population, which has relevance for prioritization of preventative measures.

As a complement to conventional noise mitigation, addition of wanted sounds, in particular sounds from water structures, has been suggested as a method for improving noise-polluted acoustic environ ...

Health effects have repeatedly been associated with residential levels of air pollution. However, it is difficult to disentangle effects of long-term exposure to locally generated and long-range transported pollutants, as well as to exhaust emissions and wear particles from road traffic. We aimed to investigate effects of exposure to particulate matter fractions on respiratory health in the Swedish adult population, using an integrated assessment of sources at different geographical scales. The study was based on a nationwide environmental health survey performed in 2007, including 25,851 adults aged 18-80 years. Individual exposure to particulate matter at residential addresses was estimated by dispersion modelling of regional, urban and local sources. Associations between different size fractions or source categories and respiratory outcomes were analysed using multiple logistic regression, adjusting for individual and contextual confounding. Exposure to locally generated wear particles showed associations for blocked nose or hay fever, chest tightness or cough, and restricted activity days with odds ratios of 1.5-2 per 10-μg·m(-3) increase. Associations were also seen for locally generated combustion particles, which disappeared following adjustment for exposure to wear particles. In conclusion, our data indicate that long-term exposure to locally generated road wear particles increases the risk of respiratory symptoms in adults.

Present-day techniques allow for massively parallel and high-throughput characterization of the somatic mutation status of samples. Most of these assays rely on whole specimen extracts, where heterogeneous spatial context of the specimen is lost. This chapter describes an up-to-date protocol for multiplexed, in situ genotyping of RNA in preserved tissue and cell lines, using padlock probes and rolling circle amplification. The presented approach allows for automated quantification of mRNA expression and mutation status, in single cells or in designated specimen areas. Briefly, mRNA is first reverse-transcribed to cDNA. Padlock probes specifically hybridize to the cDNA copy of the allele and become circularized and thereby physically linked to their targets. Following this conversion, padlock probes are copied in situ by rolling circle amplification and labeled with flourophore-conjugated probes, allowing for their detection with conventional fluorescence microscopy.

Auditory change detection has been studied extensively with mismatch negativity (MMN), an event-related potential. Because it is unresolved if the duration MMN depends on sound pressure level (SPL), we studied effects of different SPLs (56, 66, and 76dB) on the duration MMN. Further, previous research suggests that the MMN is reduced by a concurrent visual task. Because a recent behavioral study found that high visual perceptual load strongly reduced detection sensitivity to irrelevant sounds, we studied if the duration MMN is reduced by load, and if this reduction is stronger at low SPLs. Although a duration MMN was observed for all SPLs, the MMN was apparently not moderated strongly by SPL, perceptual load, or their interaction, because all 95% CIs overlapped zero. In a contrast analysis of the MMN (across loads) between the 56-dB and 76-dB groups, evidence (BF=0.31) favored the null hypothesis that duration MMN is unaffected by a 20-dB increase in SPL. Similarly, evidence (BF=0.19) favored the null hypothesis that effects of perceptual load on the duration MMN do not change with a 20-dB increase in SPL. However, evidence (BF=3.12) favored the alternative hypothesis that the effect of perceptual load in the present study resembled the overall effect in a recent meta-analysis. When the present findings were combined with the meta-analysis, the effect of load (low minus high) was -0.43μV, 95% CI [-0.64, -0.22] suggesting that the duration MMN decreases with load. These findings provide support for a sensitive monitoring system of the auditory environment.

In this chapter, we briefly describe the basic principles of padlock probes developed by us for nucleic acid detection and rolling circle amplification (RCA). Then, we outline recent developments made by our team and others in the area of in situ RNA diagnostics employing target-specific RCA of padlock probes. We highlight how the versatility of this approach makes it applicable to a range of different applications, such as studying the different stages during viral replication, multiplexed genotyping, and/or multiplexed detection of point mutations directly in tumor tissues.

Natural sounds may create pleasant soundscapes that mask wind turbine noise. To explore this, a listening test was performed to investigate the influence of background sounds on perceived loudness ...

Long-term exposure to traffic noise has been suggested to increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, few studies have been performed in the general population and on railway noise. This study aimed to investigate the cardiovascular effects of living near noisy roads and railways. This cross-sectional study comprised 25,851 men and women, aged 18-80 years, who had resided in Sweden for at least 5 years. All subjects participated in a National Environmental Health Survey, performed in 2007, in which they reported on health, annoyance reactions and environmental factors. Questionnaire data on self-reported doctor's diagnosis of hypertension and/or CVD were used as outcomes. Exposure was assessed as Traffic Load (millions of vehicle kilometres per year) within 500 m around each participant's residential address. For a sub-population (n = 2498), we also assessed road traffic and railway noise in L(den) at the dwelling façade. Multiple logistic regression models were used to assess Prevalence Odds Ratios (POR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI). No statistically significant associations were found between Traffic Load and self-reported hypertension or CVD. In the sub-population, there was no association between road traffic noise and the outcomes; however, an increased risk of CVD was suggested among subjects exposed to railway noise ≥50 dB(A); POR 1.55 (95% CI 1.00-2.40). Neither Traffic Load nor road traffic noise was, in this study, associated with self-reported cardiovascular outcomes. However, there was a borderline-significant association between railway noise and CVD. The lack of association for road traffic may be due to methodological limitations.

Water fountains are potential tools for soundscape improvement, but little is known about their perceptual properties. To explore this, sounds were recorded from 32 fountains installed in urban parks. The sounds were recorded with a sound-field microphone and were reproduced using an ambisonic loudspeaker setup. Fifty-seven listeners assessed the sounds with regard to similarity and pleasantness. Multidimensional scaling of similarity data revealed distinct groups of soft variable and loud steady-state sounds. Acoustically, the soft variable sounds were characterized by low overall levels and high temporal variability, whereas the opposite pattern characterized the loud steady-state sounds. The perceived pleasantness of the sounds was negatively related to their overall level and positively related to their temporal variability, whereas spectral centroid was weakly correlated to pleasantness. However, the results of an additional experiment, using the same sounds set equal in overall level, found a negative relationship between pleasantness and spectral centroid, suggesting that spectral factors may influence pleasantness scores in experiments where overall level does not dominate pleasantness assessments. The equal-level experiment also showed that several loud steady-state sounds remained unpleasant, suggesting an inherently unpleasant sound character. From a soundscape design perspective, it may be advisable to avoid fountains generating such sounds.

Objectives Cone-beam computed tomography in dentistry can be used in some countries by other dentists than specialists in radiology. The frequency of buying cone-beam computed tomography to examine patients is rapidly growing, thus knowledge of how to use it is very important. The aim was to compare the outcome of an investigation on the use of cone-beam computed tomography in Sweden with a previous Norwegian study, regarding specifically technical aspects. Material and Methods The questionnaire contained 45 questions, including 35 comparable questions to Norwegian clinics one year previous. Results were based on inter-comparison of the outcome from each of the two questionnaire studies. Results Responses rate was 71% in Sweden. There, most of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) examinations performed by dental nurses, while in Norway by specialists. More than two-thirds of the CBCT units had a scout image function, regularly used in both Sweden (79%) and Norway (75%). In Sweden 4% and in Norway 41% of the respondents did not wait for the report from the radiographic specialist before initiating treatment. Conclusions The bilateral comparison showed an overall similarity between the two countries. The survey gave explicit and important knowledge of the need for education and training of the whole team, since radiation dose to the patient could vary a lot for the same kind of radiographic examination. It is essential to establish quality assurance protocols with defined responsibilities in the team in order to maintain high diagnostic accuracy for all examinations when using cone-beam computed tomography for patient examinations.

Objective. The first aim of this study was to examine a contemporary human skull material for possible ethnic differences in respect of degenerative changes in the temporomandibular joints (TMJs). A second aim was to see if there was any correlation between such changes and occlusal support in any of the two groups and, if so, if this correlation was sex-related. Materials and methods: The material consisted of 129 Caucasian skulls and 76 skulls from Afro-Americans. Ninety-four of the Caucasian skulls came from males (73%) and the corresponding figure for the Afro-Americans was 40 (53%). Their mean age at death was 46 years (range: 19–89 years) and 37 years (range: 18–70 years), respectively. Results. Dental status was in general poor and 13% of the Afro-Americans and 26% of the Caucasians were edentulous. Form and surface changes of the TMJs were more common in the present material compared to most previous studies. No differences could be found between the two ethnic groups in respect of degenerative joint changes in the TMJs. In men, no correlation of clinical relevance could be found between severity of joint changes and occlusal support. However, in both Caucasian and Afro-American women, such a correlation was obvious, especially in higher age. Conclusions. The present findings give no evidence for any differences in the prevalence of degenerative changes in the TMJs in Caucasians and Afro-Americans. The strong correlation found between such changes and occlusal support in women but not in men might be explained by hormonal differences.

Objective: To analyse the relationship between caries determinants in early childhood and caries prevalence in proximal surfaces in adolescents at the age of 15 years. Methods: The present longitud ...

There is a need for a model that identifies underlying dimensions of soundscape perception, and which may guide measurement and improvement of soundscape quality. With the purpose to develop such a model, a listening experiment was conducted. One hundred listeners measured 50 excerpts of binaural recordings of urban outdoor soundscapes on 116 attribute scales. The average attribute scale values were subjected to principal components analysis, resulting in three components: Pleasantness, eventfulness, and familiarity, explaining 50, 18 and 6% of the total variance, respectively. The principal-component scores were correlated with physical soundscape properties, including categories of dominant sounds and acoustic variables. Soundscape excerpts dominated by technological sounds were found to be unpleasant, whereas soundscape excerpts dominated by natural sounds were pleasant, and soundscape excerpts dominated by human sounds were eventful. These relationships remained after controlling for the overall soundscape loudness (Zwicker's N(10)), which shows that 'informational' properties are substantial contributors to the perception of soundscape. The proposed principal components model provides a framework for future soundscape research and practice. In particular, it suggests which basic dimensions are necessary to measure, how to measure them by a defined set of attribute scales, and how to promote high-quality soundscapes.

On the basis of this study it cannot be ruled out that the appraisal of the noise affects the association between air and road traffic noise exposure and children's health and cognition. However, the conclusion is limited due to the relatively small group of annoyed children, which may have influenced our group comparisons. Furthermore, the observed relation between annoyance and perceived health is possibly biased due to the fact that both were measured within the same questionnaire. These are the main conclusions of a cross-sectional multi-center study carried out among 2,844 schoolchildren (age 9-11 years) attending 89 primary schools around three European airports. The aim was to investigate how annoyance affects the relation between air and road traffic noise exposure and children's health and cognition. Different, sometimes competing, working mechanisms of how noise affects children's health are suggested. Some effects are supposed to be precipitated through (chronic) stress, while others may arise directly. There is still no theory that can adequately account for the circumstances in which noise will affect cognitive performance. © 2010 Acoustical Society of America.

Wind turbine (WT) noise may cause annoyance, especially in relatively quiet areas with low ambient levels. As a compliment to conventional noise control at the source, addition of wanted sounds may ...

The effectiveness of noise barriers is typically assessed as the reduction in A-weighted sound pressure level ( LA). This research indicates that this may not be a valid indicator of the corresponding annoyance reduction. Road traffic noise was recorded behind a noise barrier (barrier sounds) and at a location with no barrier (non-barrier sounds). The barrier sounds, recorded 10–45 m from the road, and non-barrier sounds recorded 50–200 m from the road were of similar LA. Despite this, participants in a listening experiment found the barrier sounds to be more annoying than the non-barrier sounds, an annoyance-difference corresponding to a 3-dB increase in LA. The Loudness level (ISO 532B) and a low-frequency corrected sound pressure level ( LA) were found to be better than LA as indicators of the barrier's annoyance-reduction efficiency.

Background: An association has been reported between long-term exposure to road traffic noise and the risk of myocardial infarction (MI), but the evidence is limited and inconclusive. No previous study has simultaneously analyzed the role of exposure to noise and air pollution from road traffic in the risk of MI. Methods: A population-based case-control study on MI was conducted 1992-1994 in Stockholm County. Participants answered a questionnaire and underwent a physical examination. Residential exposure to noise and air pollution from road traffic between 1970 and 1992-1994 was assessed for 3666 participants (1571 cases of MI and 2095 controls), based on residential history combined with information on traffic intensity and distance to nearby roads. Information was also obtained on factors potentially affecting the relationship between noise exposure and MI, such as noise annoyance. Results: The correlation between long-term individual exposure to noise and air pollution from traffic was high (r = 0.6). The adjusted odds ratio for MI associated with long-term road traffic noise exposure of 50 dBA or higher was 1.12 (95% confidence interval = 0.95-1.33). In a subsample, defined by excluding persons with hearing loss or exposure to noise from other sources, the corresponding odds ratio was 1.38 (1.11-1.71), with a positive exposure-response trend. No strong effect modification was apparent by sex or cardiovascular risk factors, including air pollution from road traffic. Conclusions: The results lend some support to the hypothesis that long-term exposure to road traffic noise increases the risk for MI.