Seconds In Duration Research Articles

THE RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF THE BALANCE MAT

BACKGROUND Reliable and accurate postural sway assessment tools are important for monitoring the postural stability of individuals so that interventions can be evaluated, and balance ability is better assessed. The Balance Mat (PSI, ACT, Australia) is a new postural sway assessment device that is relatively cheap and highly portable, but it is yet to be scientifically validated and its reliability tested. Therefore, the aims of this project were to assess the test-retest reliability and validity of the Balance Mat (BM). METHODS Seventeen participants (age range 18 – 67) were recruited, and they performed nine balance tests. The reference method for obtaining balance measurements was the AMTI AccuSway-Optimized force platform (Advanced Mechanical Technology, Inc., MA, USA), which was placed below the BM so that force plate and BM data were collected simultaneously. Each participant performed two trials for each test, which were 20 seconds in duration each. From the BM software, the sway variance, mean sway distance, sway range, sway velocity, and sway path were obtained for each trial. From the force platform, the following centre of pressure (COP) measurements were obtained: standard deviation of the radial displacement of the COP; mean radial displacement of the COP; 95% confidence ellipse area; average velocity of the COP; and COP path length. Spearman’s rank-order correlation coefficient was used to test the validity and reliability of the BM. RESULTS For the comparison between BM and force plate data, correlation coefficients ranged from 0.63 to 0.79 (p<0.001). For the test-retest reliability analyses, correlation coefficients ranged from 0.77 to 0.85 (p<0.001) among the nine tests. CONCLUSIONS The strong to very strong positive correlations suggest that the BM is a valid and reliable tool for assessing postural sway.

Personal exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields in various occupations in Spain and France

BackgroundA preliminary job-exposure matrix (JEM) for radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) was created based on self-reported occupational information from a multi-country population-based study of approximately 10,000 participants combined with available measurement data compiled in a source-exposure matrix (spot measurements). In order to address the limited personal occupational RF-EMF measurement data available in the literature, we performed a measurement campaign among workers in various occupations in Spain and France. MethodsPersonal full-shift measurements were conducted using RadMan 2XT™ (Narda) devices. A worker diary was used to capture information on occupational and background sources of RF exposure during the shift. Inclusion of occupations to be measured was initially based on exposure prevalence and level information in the preliminary JEM and expert judgment. ResultsPersonal full-shift measurements were conducted among 333 workers representing 46 ISCO88 occupations. Exposure to electric (E) and magnetic (H) fields was infrequent with >99% of measurements below the detection limit of the device (≥1% of the 1998 ICNIRP standards). A total of 50.2% and 77.2% of workers were ever exposed to E and H fields respectively (having at least one recorded 1-second measurement above the detection limit). Workers in elementary occupations, technicians and associate professionals, plant and machine operators and assemblers had somewhat greater numbers of measurements above the detection limit, higher maximum values and longer exposure durations. A small proportion of measurements were ≥100% of the standards, though these exceedances were brief (generally a few seconds in duration). Female workers and workers reporting use of any RF-EMF emitting source were more likely to have a measured exposure to E and H fields. ConclusionWe conducted personal RF-EMF measurements among workers in various occupations in Spain and France. Overall, RF-EMF exposure ≥1 % ICNIRP was infrequent, despite some intermittent exposures ≥100% observed among workers in some occupations.

A MACHINE LEARNING APPROACH TO EYE BLINK DETECTION IN LOW-LIGHT VIDEOS

Inadequate lighting conditions can harm the accuracy of blink detection systems, which play a crucial role in fatigue detection technology, transportation and security applications. While some video capture devices are now equipped with flashlight technology to enhance lighting, users occasionally need to remember to activate this feature, resulting in slightly darker videos. Consequently, there is a pressing need to improve the performance of blink detection systems to detect eye accurately blinks in low light videos. This research proposes developing a machine learning-based blink detection system to see flashes in low-light videos. The Confusion matrix was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed blink detection system. These tests involved 31 videos ranging from 5 to 10 seconds in duration. Involving male and female test subjects aged between 20 and 22. The accuracy of the proposed blink detection system was measured using the confusion matrix method. The results indicate that by leveraging a machine learning approach, the blink detection system achieved a remarkable accuracy of 100% in detecting blinks within low-light videos. However, this research necessitates further development to account for more complex and diverse real-life situations. Future studies could focus on developing more sophisticated algorithms and expanding the test subjects to improve the performance of the blink detection system in low light conditions. Such advancements would contribute to the practical application of the system in a broader range of scenarios, ultimately enhancing its effectiveness in fatigue detection technology.

Laser ablation of the equine oviductal papilla as a novel contraceptive technique

Reproductive control of wild horses has frustrated land management groups for decades. GnRH and Zona Pellucida vaccines have a limited duration of efficacy, intrauterine devices are unpredictably retained, and attempts to ovariectomize mares in the western United States were met with public outcry in 2018. The development of a non-surgical permanent sterilization technique has the potential to revolutionize management of wild equids on public lands. The objectives of this study were to develop a safe and effective sterilization technique for reproductively healthy mares. We hypothesized that laser ablation of the oviductal papillae would be an effective method of permanent sterilization. Seven light-breed reproductively healthy mares (5-21yrs) were enrolled in the study. On enrollment, mares were sedated for hysteroscopy, and the endometrium and oviductal papillae were examined using a 103cm flexible endoscope (Olympus GIF-160 Gastroscope, Center Valley, PA) attached to an Olympus EVIS EXERA CV-160 video processor. In five mares, a 600 μm laser fiber was advanced through the biopsy channel and a diode laser (Dornier Medilas D, Dornier MedTech America, Inc., Kenneasaw, GA) was used to deliver direct contact pulses of 3 to 5 seconds in duration to the oviductal papilla. The endoscope was then guided up the contralateral horn and the process repeated. In two control mares, the oviductalpapillae were visualized, but no laser ablation was performed. All mares received 5 mg dinoprost IM and a uterine lavage within 4 hours post-procedure. Transrectal ultrasound was performed every 2-3 days until a 35mm follicle was detected, and then mares were bred using semen from a fertile stallion. Pregnancy status was determined by transrectal ultrasound 14 days post-ovulation, luteolysis was induced, and mares were rebred on 2-4 consecutive cycles. Control mares conceived on 6 out of 9 cycles (67% pregnancy rate). Pregnancy rate was significantly lower in the treatment group (5%, 1 out of 20 cycles, p=0.003). The first mare that was laser ablated conceived on the 4th cycle, and repeat hysteroscopy determined that the left oviduct was not effectively ablated. The third mare was diagnosed with peritonitis via abdominocentesis 6 hours post hysteroscopy. The mare was treated with broad spectrum antibiotics and recovered uneventfully. Three mares were re-bred two years after the procedure and did not conceive. In conclusion, when laser ablation of the oviductal papillae was appropriately performed, scar tissue formation effectively prevented pregnancy for a minimum of four months post-procedure. Laser ablation of the oviductal papillae is a promising technique for permanent sterilization of the mare and a follow-up long-term fertility study is warranted in a larger group of mares is warranted.

Effect of a portable sound-booth on teachers’ voice acoustic parameters

Background: College professors expose themselves to different vocal demands during teaching. During the COVID-19 pandemic, college professors were exposed to extra working loads associated with working from home, with less-than-optimal acoustic conditions. This is the reason why it was needed to think of easy-to-implement and low-cost solutions for online teaching from home. Objective: To evaluate the effect of an insulating cabin prototype on the voice acoustic parameters of college professors during homeworking. Methodology: Longitudinal study with the participation of 32 (thirty-two) full-time college professors. Participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire before reading a paragraph of around 30 seconds of duration with and without the portable sound booth. A type I sound level meter was used to measure the background noise in professors' teaching environments with and without the cabin prototype. Results: Voice acoustic parameters changed when voice production was performed with the portable sound booth. Therefore, this low-cost solution is a good alternative to prevent vocal effort and vocal fatigue among teachers.

Introduction of gloved hand to cage induces 22-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations in male albino rats.

Rodents emit ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) above the human hearing threshold of ~ 20 kHz to communicate emotional states and to coordinate their social interactive behavior. Twenty-two kHz USVs emitted by adult rats have been reported in a variety of aversive social and behavioral situations. They occur not only under painful or restraining conditions but can also be evoked by gentle cutaneous touch or airflow. This study aimed to test if placement of a human hand in a cage can evoke 22-kHz USVs. It was found that 36% of the adult male Sprague-Dawley and 13% of the adult male Wistar Han rats emitted 22-kHz USVs when a gloved hand was introduced into the cages. Average vocalization onset latencies were 5.0 ± 4.4 s (Sprague-Dawley) and 7.4 ± 4.0 s (Wistar Han) and the USVs had a stable frequency (22 kHz) across the calls, ranging from 0.1 to 2.3 seconds in duration. Surprisingly, no 22-kHz USVs were found in any female Wistar Han rats tested. To further explore the mechanisms underlying this observation, we compared retinal function, basal serum corticosterone, and testosterone levels between the 22-kHz USV responders and non-responders. None of these parameters or endpoints showed any significant differences between the two cohorts. The results suggest that the introduction of a gloved-hand inside the cage can trigger adult male albino rats to emit 22-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations. This response should be considered in USV studies and animal welfare.

“There's a chance we can overcome”: Parental perceptions on modified desensitization protocol for newly diagnosed toddlers

BackgroundOral immunotherapy (OIT) has shifted the food allergy paradigm from strict avoidance to clinical tolerance. Whereas it is most effective when started in very young children, little is known about parental perceptions of OIT. ObjectiveTo qualitatively describe the perceptions of parents whose young children had recently successfully attained maintenance-modified desensitization protocol in Montreal, Canada. MethodsIn March 2022, we qualitatively interviewed 10 families (5 English, 5 French) whose children had successfully attained maintenance OIT. Interviews were completed virtually by means of a single moderator and were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed thematically in the original language of data collection by 2 bilingual analysts who worked independently but concurrently. Analysts met to discuss codes and create themes. Central quotations collected in French were translated into English. ResultsChildren who had completed the protocol were 2.38 (± 3.12) years at diagnosis and 2.94 (± 2.69) years at the start of OIT. Interviews averaged 24 minutes and 38 seconds in duration. A total of 6 themes were identified, including the following: (1) parents were theoretically comfortable with OIT; (2) comfort with OIT does not nullify anxiety; (3) daily challenges of OIT include eating and early reactions; (4) the time invested in OIT is substantial, but worth the reward; (5) OIT means liberation; and (6) greater access to OIT is needed now and in perpetuity. ConclusionDespite substantial time investments and challenges, OIT offers hope to families of children with food allergy and for which parental enthusiasm remains. Significant resources ought to be directed toward OIT now, as downstream outcomes are notable.

Vector properties of the low-frequency acoustic waves generated by earthquakes on the New England Bight

During a recent ONR experiment on the Northwest Atlantic continental shelf (i.e. New England Bight), a series of earthquakes occurred roughly 120 km from the 40 km × 20 km experimental area. A strong signal from these earthquakes was received by near-bottom vector sensors (the intensity vector acoustic recorders, IVARs) and high-bandwidth ocean-bottom seismometers (OBXs) embedded in the thick muddy sediments characteristic of the area. The events are roughly 30 seconds in duration, and are low-frequency (from 3 to 40 Hz). As such, energy is observed well below the acoustic cut-off frequency of the continental shelf. Correlating the arrivals to the USGS epicenter show these arrivals are supersonic in water, with group velocity >5 km/s. These arrivals appear to be leaky waves propagating within the rock below the ocean seafloor, distinct from the well-known T-phase of oceanic earthquakes that propagate at speeds close to the sound speed in seawater. The frequency dependence of the potential and kinetic energy of these arrivals suggest the field is evanescent, in both the water column and upper sediments. Spectral properties of the arrivals are shown to correspond to the water depth and sediment layering.

Citation in works created by the creative industries

Key words: citation, quotation, free use of works, creative industries, copyright, intellectualproperty
 Citation,i.e. the use in the work of small fragments of other works with reference to them, belongsto the traditional copyright exceptions and limitations that contribute to the developmentof science and culture, and free dissemination of information. The Ukrainiansystem of copyright exceptions and limitations is characterized by an exhaustivelist of such cases, so only actions expressly provided by law are allowed. Therefore,free and uncoordinated with the author citation of the work is allowed only in compliancewith the requirements provided by the law.First, the work from which the quotation is used must be lawfully made public, i.e.disclosed to the public with the permission of the author. Citing an unpublished or illegallypublished work constitutes a deviation from lawful conduct and qualifies ascopyright infringement.Second, the length of the passage used must be appropriate to the purpose, whichmay include explaining one's statements or referring to another author’s opinion. Thelimit of the size of a citation, such as the maximum number of words, signs, or secondsof duration, is not established by law. Therefore, the volume of the citation should correspondto the purposes of expressing a particular opinion, providing certain informationor data. Works of fine art, photography and other small works can be cited in partor in full if it is justified by the goal. The use of such works must be absolutely targetedand have a direct connection with the information contained in the work in whichthe citation is given.Third, the excerpt from the work must be given in an authentic formulation thatcorresponds exactly to the original. If a quotation is translated from a foreign language,its use does not require permission but the translation must be correct and accuratelyconvey the author’s thought.Fourth, a quotation can be included only in a work of a critical, polemical, scientific,or informational nature. It should be taken into account that, under Ukrainianlaw, articles and programs of the media are always considered informational objects,so the media can quote other works regardless of the genre of their particular articleor program.Fifth, when citing, it is obligatory to indicate the name (pseudonym) of the authorand the source of borrowing. If the work is published anonymously, it is sufficient tocomply with this requirement by indicating the source of borrowing. Without specifyingthe work and its author(s), the use of a fragment of the work will not be considered citation, and therefore, even if all other requirements are met, the user’s actionswill be regarded as copyright infringement.In general, when quoting, it should be remembered that it must be carried out instrict accordance with the requirements established by law. Users are not given theright to determine which of these requirements may not be met because only theircombination determines the boundaries of permissible and allowed behavior in thefree use of works.

Trial-by-trial predictions of subjective time from human brain activity.

Human experience of time exhibits systematic, context-dependent deviations from clock time; for example, time is experienced differently at work than on holiday. Here we test the proposal that differences from clock time in subjective experience of time arise because time estimates are constructed by accumulating the same quantity that guides perception: salient events. Healthy human participants watched naturalistic, silent videos of up to 24 seconds in duration and estimated their duration while fMRI was acquired. We were able to reconstruct trial-by-trial biases in participants' duration reports, which reflect subjective experience of duration, purely from salient events in their visual cortex BOLD activity. By contrast, salient events in neither of two control regions-auditory and somatosensory cortex-were predictive of duration biases. These results held despite being able to (trivially) predict clock time from all three brain areas. Our results reveal that the information arising during perceptual processing of a dynamic environment provides a sufficient basis for reconstructing human subjective time duration.

The Classification of Abnormal Hand Movement to Aid in Autism Detection: Machine Learning Study

Background A formal autism diagnosis can be an inefficient and lengthy process. Families may wait several months or longer before receiving a diagnosis for their child despite evidence that earlier intervention leads to better treatment outcomes. Digital technologies that detect the presence of behaviors related to autism can scale access to pediatric diagnoses. A strong indicator of the presence of autism is self-stimulatory behaviors such as hand flapping. Objective This study aims to demonstrate the feasibility of deep learning technologies for the detection of hand flapping from unstructured home videos as a first step toward validation of whether statistical models coupled with digital technologies can be leveraged to aid in the automatic behavioral analysis of autism. To support the widespread sharing of such home videos, we explored privacy-preserving modifications to the input space via conversion of each video to hand landmark coordinates and measured the performance of corresponding time series classifiers. Methods We used the Self-Stimulatory Behavior Dataset (SSBD) that contains 75 videos of hand flapping, head banging, and spinning exhibited by children. From this data set, we extracted 100 hand flapping videos and 100 control videos, each between 2 to 5 seconds in duration. We evaluated five separate feature representations: four privacy-preserved subsets of hand landmarks detected by MediaPipe and one feature representation obtained from the output of the penultimate layer of a MobileNetV2 model fine-tuned on the SSBD. We fed these feature vectors into a long short-term memory network that predicted the presence of hand flapping in each video clip. Results The highest-performing model used MobileNetV2 to extract features and achieved a test F1 score of 84 (SD 3.7; precision 89.6, SD 4.3 and recall 80.4, SD 6) using 5-fold cross-validation for 100 random seeds on the SSBD data (500 total distinct folds). Of the models we trained on privacy-preserved data, the model trained with all hand landmarks reached an F1 score of 66.6 (SD 3.35). Another such model trained with a select 6 landmarks reached an F1 score of 68.3 (SD 3.6). A privacy-preserved model trained using a single landmark at the base of the hands and a model trained with the average of the locations of all the hand landmarks reached an F1 score of 64.9 (SD 6.5) and 64.2 (SD 6.8), respectively. Conclusions We created five lightweight neural networks that can detect hand flapping from unstructured videos. Training a long short-term memory network with convolutional feature vectors outperformed training with feature vectors of hand coordinates and used almost 900,000 fewer model parameters. This study provides the first step toward developing precise deep learning methods for activity detection of autism-related behaviors.

MULTIMODALANALYSIS OF VIDEO WITH NEURAL NETWORKS

The cyberspace technology in age of social-media, has introduce an innovative and ravishing way of passing the information in form of online streaming videos. Interestingly, videos are able to communicate a complex message in some seconds of duration involving all auditory and visual senses. Hence, somewhere it is needed to monitor the videos, its shared context and its affect over viewers. Thereby, it becomes imperative to test the negative, positive and neutral sentiments hidden within the video which is also termed as sentiment analysis of videos. For this text, audio and visuals are known modalities in consideration to relation with utterances. This paper presents the contextual multimodal sentiment analysis using the technique of neural network using attention mechanism.

非線形力ルマンフィルタを用いた車いすの動作推定

This paper proposes a method for estimating the movement of a wheelchair using inertial sensors, even in the absence of GPS. A plant model was constructed by a kinematics model which includes wheelchair’s body section and two wheels, and constraint equations of differential type two-wheeled vehicle model. Simulating wheelchair tennis motion was performed and measured with an inertial sensor and optical motion capture. By applying the extended Kalman filter to the model described above, the wheelchair motion was accurately estimated for 20 seconds in duration.

Spatial and time domain analysis of eye-tracking data during screening of brain magnetic resonance images.

IntroductionEye-tracking research has been widely used in radiology applications. Prior studies exclusively analysed either temporal or spatial eye-tracking features, both of which alone do not completely characterise the spatiotemporal dynamics of radiologists’ gaze features.PurposeOur research aims to quantify human visual search dynamics in both domains during brain stimuli screening to explore the relationship between reader characteristics and stimuli complexity. The methodology can be used to discover strategies to aid trainee radiologists in identifying pathology, and to select regions of interest for machine vision applications.MethodThe study was performed using eye-tracking data 5 seconds in duration from 57 readers (15 Brain-experts, 11 Other-experts, 5 Registrars and 26 Naïves) for 40 neuroradiological images as stimuli (i.e., 20 normal and 20 pathological brain MRIs). The visual scanning patterns were analysed by calculating the fractal dimension (FD) and Hurst exponent (HE) using re-scaled range (R/S) and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) methods. The FD was used to measure the spatial geometrical complexity of the gaze patterns, and the HE analysis was used to measure participants’ focusing skill. The focusing skill is referred to persistence/anti-persistence of the participants’ gaze on the stimulus over time. Pathological and normal stimuli were analysed separately both at the “First Second” and full “Five Seconds” viewing duration.ResultsAll experts were more focused and a had higher visual search complexity compared to Registrars and Naïves. This was seen in both the pathological and normal stimuli in the first and five second analyses. The Brain-experts subgroup was shown to achieve better focusing skill than Other-experts due to their domain specific expertise. Indeed, the FDs found when viewing pathological stimuli were higher than those in normal ones. Viewing normal stimuli resulted in an increase of FD found in five second data, unlike pathological stimuli, which did not change. In contrast to the FDs, the scanpath HEs of pathological and normal stimuli were similar. However, participants’ gaze was more focused for “Five Seconds” than “First Second” data.ConclusionsThe HE analysis of the scanpaths belonging to all experts showed that they have greater focus than Registrars and Naïves. This may be related to their higher visual search complexity than non-experts due to their training and expertise.

“Is something amiss?” Investigating individuals’ competence in estimating swarm degradation

Robotic swarms comprise component assets operating via local control algorithms which emulate natural swarming behaviors. Scientists are beginning to focus on the human-centered topic of human-swarm interaction. In a novel within-subjects design, we followed this comparatively nascent focus and investigated whether people can detect swarm degradations in assets flocking via consensus, their accuracy in estimating those degradations, and their confidence in those estimates. We also assessed open-ended responses to shed light on the strategies people may use to detect swarm degradations. Participants were recruited online and viewed 21 randomized simulations, each 30 seconds in duration with varying proportions of asset degradation. Results showed that the proportion of asset degradation did have an effect on the aforementioned criteria. Qualitative themes showed preliminary evidence that participants used common strategies to detect the time and degree of swarm degradation. However, we did not find evidence of a linear effect of the degradation manipulation on criteria of interest, which did not support our expectations. We discuss limitations and future research perspectives in detail, which we believe provide fodder for future work to investigate human-swarm interaction at a more granular level.

A catalogue of the motion picture films of the Thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus).

ABSTRACT As a companion to the Thylacine Image Registry (Sleightholme & Campbell, 2021), the authors present the first comprehensive catalogue of the thirteen known motion picture films of the Thylacine or Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus). The films date from 1911 to 1935, are all black and white, and range from 5 to 59 seconds in duration. The authors provide detail on the content and history behind each of the films, the cinematographers responsible for their creation, the locations in which they were filmed, and the identity, or probable identity, of each of the Thylacines shown.

Acute effects of laser myocardial ablation in <i>ex vivo</i> and <i>in vivo</i>

Aim. To study and compare the lesions characteristics of laser energy in heart ex vivo and in experimental large animals.Materials and methods. For the ex vivo experiment a pig heart was obtained from a local slaughterhouse. Laser applications were applied using power 15-30 W in the left and right ventricles 5-50 seconds in duration. Immediately after ablation, examination was performed to determine myocardial damage characteristics at each point. In the experimental study, 7 sheep were included, laser applications were performed under fluoroscopic control in the right atrium with power 10, 15 and 20 W, 10-25 s; in the right ventricle 20, 25 and 30 W for 10-40 s; and in the left ventricle 20, 25 and 30 W for 20-40 s. The animals were euthanized and macroscopic examination of laser lesions was performed.Results. A total of 27 laser applications were performed on the heart ex vivo, all lesions were visualized as white spots on the endocardial surface. The maximum lesion depth was 9 mm achieved when using 20 W /50 s, the maximum lesion diameter was 6 mm, when using 25 W /40 s. The minimum lesion diameter and depth were observed when using 30 W /5 s, 2x1 mm. A total of 48 laser applications were performed in experimental animals, in one experimental animal was observed a transmural lesion in the right atrium when using 15 W /20 s. In 3 out of 7 experimental animals, transmural lesions were observed in the right ventricle when using 20 W /30 s; 20 W /40 s and 30 W /10 s. In the left ventricle, transmural lesions were observed in 2 animals, using 15 W /20 s and 20 W /40 s. In the ex vivo study, there was a strong positive correlation between ablation energy and lesion depth (R=0.91, P<0.05) and lesion volume (R=0.73, P<0.05); while there was no such statistical correlation in vivo.Conclusions. Laser ablation 15-20 W for 15-40 s seems to be optimal for achieving the deepest lesions in the atrium and ventricular myocardium. In our small pilot study with fiberoptic catheter ablation on a beating heart there was no correlation between energy delivered and the depth and volume of necrotic myocardium.

A thermosensitive material coated resonant stent for drug delivery on demand.

An electromagnetic energy source in the radio-frequency range delivers power to a stent circuit via resonant inductive coupling, allowing a thermally triggered release of gel via Joule heating. A gold-electroplated, medical-grade stainless steel stent, serving as the base of the prototype device, melts a coating made from an emulsion composed mainly of dodecanoic acid. These coated devices produce wirelessly controllable releases of a gel into thermally regulated, stirred water that is near body temperature. The gel is made from salt, water, and gelatine from porcine skin and used to simulate drug release in this study. Thus, this system serves as a proof of concept to show the viability of controlling local drug delivery using this prototype device. Dodecanoic acid, a fatty acid, has a phase transition from solid to liquid near 43[Formula: see text]C and has relatively good biocompatibility. The average melting temperature of two different emulsions was 40.8±0.7[Formula: see text]C, a suitable value for the targeted application. Demonstration of controllable releases used electromagnetic pulses of approximately 180 seconds in duration, illustrating reproducibility of a controllable release phase while remaining relatively inert in the absence of stimuli. Releases were observable through measuring the conductivity of the water, the water temperature, and the stent temperature. This electrothermally active stent device enables wirelessly controlled local delivery with controlled dosage and timing, a concept with a wide range of potential applications. Some relevant examples include inhibiting restenosis or cancer treatment via targeted chemotherapy.

Validation of persuasive audiovisual communication to reduce salt consumption by people with heart failure.

To build and validate persuasive audiovisual communication content to reduce salt consumption in the diet of people with heart failure. Methodological study, of a technological method, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, in which the stages of pre-production, production and post-production were followed. Content validation was carried out with specialists in the field of health and communication. Based on the survey of beliefs related to salt reduction, the video contains 42 screens with three minutes and eleven seconds in duration and has animations and motivational arguments with the aim of positively influencing behavioral intention and modeling negative beliefs in positive ones. In content validation, the judges unanimously agreed with the evaluation criteria for the target audience, language, harmony, figures, narration and persuasion strategy. The Content Validity Index was satisfactory with a 97% agreement. Persuasive audiovisual communication was considered valid in terms of content, becoming a tool to enhance the reduction of salt consumption in the care of people with heart failure.

Suppressing synchronous firing of epileptiform activity by high-frequency stimulation of afferent fibers in rat hippocampus.

AimsDeep brain stimulation (DBS) is a promising technology for treating epilepsy. However, the efficacy and underlying mechanisms of the high‐frequency stimulation (HFS) utilized by DBS to suppress epilepsy remain uncertain. Previous studies have shown that HFS can desynchronize the firing of neurons. In this study, we investigated whether the desynchronization effects of HFS can suppress epileptiform events.MethodsHFS trains with seconds of duration (short) and a minute of duration (long) were applied at the afferent fibers (ie, Schaffer collaterals) of the hippocampal CA1 region in anesthetized rats in vivo. The amplitude and the rate of population spikes (PS) appeared in the downstream of stimulation were calculated to evaluate the intensity of synchronized firing of neuronal populations between short and long HFS groups. A test of paired‐pulse depression (PPD) was used to assess the alteration of inhibitory neuronal circuits.ResultsThe sustained stimulation of a 60‐s long HFS suppressed the afterdischarges that were induced by a 5‐s short HFS to impair the local inhibitions. During the sustained HFS, the mean PS amplitude reduced significantly and the burst firing decreased, while the amount of neuronal firing did not change significantly. The paired‐pulse tests showed that with a similar baseline level of small PS2/PS1 ratio indicating a strong PPD, the 5‐s HFS increased the PS2/PS1 ratio to a value that was significantly greater than the corresponding ratio during sustained HFS, indicating that the PPD impaired by a short HFS may be restored by a sustained HFS.ConclusionsThe sustained HFS can desynchronize the population firing of epileptiform activity and accelerate a recovery of inhibitions to create a balance between the excitation and the inhibition of local neuronal circuits. The study provides new clues for further understanding the mechanism of DBS and for advancing the clinical application of DBS in treating epilepsy.