Search results for "Sound"

Mismatch brain response to speech sound changes in rats

2011

Understanding speech is based on neural representations of individual speech sounds. In humans, such representations are capable of supporting an automatic and memory-based mechanism for auditory change detection, as reflected by the mismatch negativity of event-related potentials. There are also findings of neural representations of speech sounds in animals, but it is not known whether these representations can support the change detection mechanism analogous to that underlying the mismatch negativity in humans. To this end, we presented synthesized spoken syllables to urethane-anesthetized rats while local field potentials were epidurally recorded above their primary auditory cortex. In a…

Combining split-and-merge and multi-seed region growing algorithms for uterine fibroid segmentation in MRgFUS treatments

2016

Uterine fibroids are benign tumors that can affect female patients during reproductive years. Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) represents a noninvasive approach that uses thermal ablation principles to treat symptomatic fibroids. During traditional treatment planning, uterus, fibroids, and surrounding organs at risk must be manually marked on MR images by an operator. After treatment, an operator must segment, again manually, treated areas to evaluate the non-perfused volume (NPV) inside the fibroids. Both pre- and post-treatment procedures are time-consuming and operator-dependent. This paper presents a novel method, based on an advanced direct region detection model, …

Prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances, immune-related outcomes, and lung function in children from a Spanish birth cohort study.

2019

Background: Prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) has been associated with impaired immune and respiratory health during childhood but the evidence is inconsistent and limited for lung function. We studied the association between prenatal PFASs exposure and immune and respiratory health, including lung function, up to age 7 years in the Spanish INMA birth cohort study. Methods: We assessed four PFASs in maternal plasma samples collected during the 1st trimester of pregnancy (years: 2003-2008): perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), and perfluorononanoate (PFNA). Mothers reported the occurrence (yes/no) of lower respir…

Bacterial growth and biological properties of Cymbopogon schoenanthus and Ziziphus lotus are modulated by extraction conditions

2020

Abstract The present study aims to evaluate the antibacterial activity and biological properties of two traditional Saharian plants (Cymbopogon schoenanthus and Ziziphus lotus). The plant extracts were obtained by using a different combination of extraction methods (conventional vs. ultrasound-assisted) and solvents (water vs. ethanol:water (50:50, v/v)). The antioxidant profile, anti-inflammatory activity and impact on bacterial growth (foodborne and probiotic bacteria) of the obtained extracts were assessed. The plant species showed the hierarchically more important role in determining the biological properties of the extracts, followed by extraction solvent and extraction conditions. Con…

Extended irreversible thermodynamics of liquid helium II: boundary condition and propagation of fourth sound

2001

Abstract The work deals with further developments of a study previously initiated, in which a macroscopic monofluid model of liquid helium II, based on extended irreversible thermodynamics, has been formulated. The transversal modes are investigated and a boundary condition, suggested in the natural way by their analysis, is formulated; the existence of the fourth sound is demonstrated too. A possible experimental determination of the coefficients appearing in the theory is proposed: it is shown that the model is able to express the velocities and the attenuations of the two sounds in bulk helium II, in accord with the experimental data, using a number of parameters smaller than those intro…

MRgFUS results Italy

2017

PURPOSE: To present our preliminary results achieved with the first Italian installation of a trans-cranial MRI-guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery (tcMRgFUS) certified system for functional neurosurgery. Moreover, to our knowledge, this is the world-first tcMRgFUS system ever installed on a 1.5T MRI unit. Technical issues faced to achieve a safe and effective treatment will be discussed focusing on MR high-resolution live imaging and thermometry sequences optimization. METHOD AND MATERIALS: Patient enrollment was based on indication for functional neurosurgery and evidence of medication-refractory disease; a detailed medical history has been collected together with a complete clinical examin…

US-Elastography for Breast Lesion Characterization: Prospective Comparison of US BIRADS, Strain Elastography and Shear wave Elastography

2020

 To evaluate the diagnostic performance of strain elastography (SE) and 2 D shear wave elastography (SWE) and SE/SWE combination in comparison with conventional multiparametric ultrasound (US) with respect to improving BI-RADS classification results and differentiating benign and malignant breast lesions using a qualitative and quantitative assessment. In this prospective study, 130 histologically proven breast masses were evaluated with baseline US, color Doppler ultrasound (CDUS), SE and SWE (Toshiba Aplio 500 with a 7-15 MHz wide-band linear transducer). Each lesion was classified according to the BIRADS lexicon by evaluating the size, the B-mode and color Doppler features, the SE qualit…

Three-dimensional ultrasound diagnosis of ruptured subcapsular liver hematoma caused by HELLP syndrome

2008

Mechanical and acoustical behavior of sugarcane and flax fibres reinforced biocomposite

2017

For reasons of comfort, modern constructions require acoustic and thermal insulating materials, offering good mechanical performances. In this context, the valorization of plant fibres from the agro-food industry presents economic and environmental benefits. Thus, the aim of the present study is to develop a multifunctional sugarcane fibres reinforced epoxy porous composite combining good acoustic and mechanical properties.The study of the bagasse fibres geometry has shown that fibres’ length and diameter distribution can be fitted by lognormal laws. Composites manufactured by thermocompression process with an epoxy matrix were characterized using an experimental design whose parameters wer…

EFFECT OF LOW-FREQUENCY NOISE ON ADIABATIC PASSAGE IN A SUPERCONDUCTING NANOCIRCUIT

2011

Recent experiments have demonstrated coherent phenomena in three-level systems based on superconducting nanocircuits. This opens the possibility to detect Stimulated Raman Adiabatic Passage (STIRAP) in artificial atoms. Low-fequency noise (often 1/f) is one of the main sources of decoherence in these systems, and we study its effect on the transfer efficiency. We propose a way to analyze low frequency fluctuations in terms of fictitious correlated fluctuations of external parameters. We discuss a specific implementation, namely the Quantronium setup of a Cooper-pair box, showing that optimizing the trade-off between efficient coupling and protection against noise may allow us to observe co…