-
International Journal of Audiology Feb 2020This study evaluated the outcomes of the Oticon Medical Neuro Zti cochlear implant and the Neuro 2 sound processor. Neuro One users were upgraded to Neuro 2....
This study evaluated the outcomes of the Oticon Medical Neuro Zti cochlear implant and the Neuro 2 sound processor. Neuro One users were upgraded to Neuro 2. Monosyllabic word identification was evaluated in adults with Neuro One after ≥5 months, with Neuro 2 at upgrade, and with Neuro 2 after 3 months. Self-reported listening ability, satisfaction, and usability were measured in adults and children. Participants were 44 adults and 26 children. Speech identification scores in quiet and noise were 58% and 45% with Neuro One and 67% and 55% with Neuro 2 after 3 months, respectively. Hearing impairment duration and number of active electrodes significantly predicted speech identification in noise with Neuro 2. Significantly higher questionnaire ratings were obtained for Neuro 2 than Neuro One regarding listening ability in complex listening situations, comfort and music, as well as nine aspects of satisfaction and usability. This study demonstrates the clinical superiority of the Neuro 2 sound processor over Neuro One in terms of speech identification in quiet and in noise and reported patient benefit and satisfaction. Given the study design, sources of improvement may include factors unrelated to the sound processor itself.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Child; Child, Preschool; Cochlear Implantation; Cochlear Implants; Female; France; Hearing Loss; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Noise; Patient Satisfaction; Speech Perception; Speech Reception Threshold Test; Treatment Outcome; Young Adult
PubMed: 31584300
DOI: 10.1080/14992027.2019.1671616 -
Micromachines Jul 2022Along with deep scaling transistors and complex electronics information exchange networks, very-large-scale-integrated (VLSI) circuits require high performance and... (Review)
Review
Along with deep scaling transistors and complex electronics information exchange networks, very-large-scale-integrated (VLSI) circuits require high performance and ultra-low power consumption. In order to meet the demand of data-abundant workloads and their energy efficiency, improving only the transistor performance would not be sufficient. Super high-speed microprocessors are useless if the capacity of the data lines is not increased accordingly. Meanwhile, traditional on-chip copper interconnects reach their physical limitation of resistivity and reliability and may no longer be able to keep pace with a processor's data throughput. As one of the potential alternatives, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted important attention to become the future emerging on-chip interconnects with possible explorations of new development directions. In this paper, we focus on the electrical, thermal, and process compatibility issues of current on-chip interconnects. We review the advantages, recent developments, and dilemmas of CNT-based interconnects from the perspective of different interconnect lengths and through-silicon-via (TSV) applications.
PubMed: 35888965
DOI: 10.3390/mi13071148 -
IScience Jan 2022Ultra-high chip power densities that are expected to surpass 1-2kW/cm in future high-performance systems cannot be easily handled by conventional cooling methods....
Ultra-high chip power densities that are expected to surpass 1-2kW/cm in future high-performance systems cannot be easily handled by conventional cooling methods. Various emerging cooling methods, such as liquid cooling via microchannels, thermoelectric coolers (TECs), two-phase vapor chambers, and hybrid cooling options have been designed to efficiently remove heat from high-performance processors. However, selecting the optimal cooling solution for a given chip and determining the optimal cooling parameters for that solution to achieve high efficiency are open problems. These problems are, in fact, computationally expensive because of the massive space of possible solutions. To address this design challenge, this article introduces a deep learning-based cooling design optimization flow that rapidly and accurately converges to the optimal cooling solution as well as the optimal cooling parameters for a given chip floorplan and its power profile.
PubMed: 35005532
DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103582 -
Journal of Biomedical Optics Oct 2022Flexible endoscopes are essential for medical internal examinations. Digital endoscopes are connected to a video processor that can apply various operations to enhance...
SIGNIFICANCE
Flexible endoscopes are essential for medical internal examinations. Digital endoscopes are connected to a video processor that can apply various operations to enhance the image. One of those operations is edge enhancement, which has a major impact on the perceived image quality by medical professionals. However, the specific methods and parameters of this operation are undisclosed and the arbitrary units to express the level of edge enhancement differ per video processor.
AIM
Objectively quantify the level of edge enhancement from the recorded images alone, and measure the effect on sharpness and noise
APPROACH
Edge enhancement was studied in four types of flexible digital ear nose and throat endoscopes. Measurements were performed using slanted edges and gray patches. The level of edge enhancement was determined by subtracting the step response of an image without edge enhancement from images with selected settings of edge enhancement and measuring the resulting peak-to-peak differences. These values were then normalized by the step size. Sharpness was characterized by observing the normalized modulation transfer function (MTF) and computing the spatial frequency at 50% MTF. The noise was measured on the gray patches and computed as a weighted sum of variances from the luminance and two chrominance channels of the pixel values.
RESULTS
The measured levels were consistent with the level set via the user interface on the video processor and varied typically from 0 to 1.3. Both sharpness and noise increase with larger levels of edge enhancement with factors of 3 and 4 respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
The presented method overcomes the issue of vendors expressing the level of edge enhancement each differently in arbitrary units. This allows us to compare the effects, and we can start exploring the relationship with the subjectively perceived image quality by medical professionals to find substantiated optimal settings.
Topics: Endoscopy; Radiographic Image Enhancement
PubMed: 36203241
DOI: 10.1117/1.JBO.27.10.106001 -
ACS Nano Dec 2021A key goal of bottom-up synthetic biology is to construct cell- and tissue-like structures. Underpinning cellular life is the ability to process several external...
A key goal of bottom-up synthetic biology is to construct cell- and tissue-like structures. Underpinning cellular life is the ability to process several external chemical signals, often in parallel. Until now, cell- and tissue-like structures have been constructed with no more than one signaling pathway. Many pathways rely on signal transport across membranes using protein nanopores. However, such systems currently suffer from the slow transport of molecules. We have optimized the application of these nanopores to permit fast molecular transport, which has allowed us to construct a processor for parallel chemical signals from the bottom up in a modular fashion. The processor comprises three aqueous droplet compartments connected by lipid bilayers and operates in an aqueous environment. It can receive two chemical signals from the external environment, process them orthogonally, and then produce a distinct output for each signal. It is suitable for both sensing and enzymatic processing of environmental signals, with fluorescence and molecular outputs. In the future, such processors could serve as smart drug delivery vehicles or as modules within synthetic tissues to control their behavior in response to external chemical signals.
Topics: Lipid Bilayers; Lipid Droplets; Nanopores; Proteins; Water
PubMed: 34788543
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c08217 -
PloS One 2023Addition is a fundamental computer arithmetic operation that is widely performed in microprocessors, digital signal processors, and application-specific processors. The...
Addition is a fundamental computer arithmetic operation that is widely performed in microprocessors, digital signal processors, and application-specific processors. The design of a high-speed and energy-efficient adder is thus useful and important for practical applications. In this context, this paper presents the designs of novel asynchronous carry look-ahead adders (CLAs) viz. a standard CLA (SCLA) and a block CLA (BCLA). The proposed CLAs are monotonic, dual-rail encoded, and are realized according to return-to-zero handshake (RZH) and return-to-one handshake (ROH) protocols using a 28-nm CMOS process technology. The proposed BCLA has a slight edge over the proposed SCLA, and the proposed BCLA reports the following optimizations in design metrics such as cycle time (delay), area, and power compared to a recently presented state-of-the-art asynchronous CLA for a 32-bit addition: (i) 32.6% reduction in cycle time, 29% reduction in area, 4.3% reduction in power, and 35.5% reduction in energy for RZH, and (ii) 31.4% reduction in cycle time, 28.9% reduction in area, 4.4% reduction in power, and 34.4% reduction in energy for ROH. Also, the proposed BCLA reports reductions in cycle time and power/energy compared to many other asynchronous adders.
Topics: Mathematics; Physical Phenomena; Technology
PubMed: 37796887
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289569 -
Nanoscale Advances Nov 2022Biomimetic properties allow soft robots to complexly interact with the environment. As the bridge between the robot and the operating object, the gripping hand is an...
Biomimetic properties allow soft robots to complexly interact with the environment. As the bridge between the robot and the operating object, the gripping hand is an important organ for its connection with the outside world, which requires the ability to provide feedback from the grasped object, similar to the human sensory and nervous system. In this work, to cope with the difficulty of integrating complex sensing and communication systems into flexible soft grippers, we propose a GO/PI composite bilayer film-based gripper with two types of tactile sensors and a LC passive wireless transmission module to obtain the grip information and transmit it to the processor. The bilayer film structure demonstrates good photothermal driving performance. Pressure and material sensors are located at the tips of the gripper's fingers to acquire tactile information which is wirelessly transmitted to the processor for analysis the LC circuit. The grasping and feedback of the gripper are presented through an intelligent display system, realizing the wireless interconnection between the robot terminal and processing system, exhibiting broad application potential.
PubMed: 36381512
DOI: 10.1039/d2na00208f -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2022In principle, the recently proposed capacitive-coupling impedance spectroscopy (CIS) has the capability to acquire frequency spectra of complex electrical impedance...
In principle, the recently proposed capacitive-coupling impedance spectroscopy (CIS) has the capability to acquire frequency spectra of complex electrical impedance sequentially on a millisecond timescale. Even when the measured object with time-varying unknown resistance is capacitively coupled with the measurement electrodes with time-varying unknown capacitance , CIS can be measured. As a proof of concept, this study aimed to develop a prototype that implemented the novel algorithm of CIS and circuit parameter estimation to verify whether the frequency spectra and circuit parameters could be obtained in milliseconds and whether time-varying impedance could be measured. This study proposes a dedicated processor that was implemented as field-programmable gate arrays to perform CIS, estimate and , and their digital-to-analog conversions at a certain time, and to repeat them continually. The proposed processor executed the entire sequence in the order of milliseconds. Combined with a front-end nonsinusoidal oscillator and interfacing circuits, the processor estimated the fixed and fixed with reasonable accuracy. Additionally, the combined system with the processor succeeded in detecting a quick optical response in the resistance of the cadmium sulfide (CdS) photocell connected in series with a capacitor, and in reading out their resistance and capacitance independently as voltages in real-time.
PubMed: 35746187
DOI: 10.3390/s22124406 -
Otology & Neurotology : Official... Aug 2020Sound processor loading times after bone-anchored hearing implant (BAHI) surgery have gradually decreased over time. This study assessed patient preferences in loading...
OBJECTIVE
Sound processor loading times after bone-anchored hearing implant (BAHI) surgery have gradually decreased over time. This study assessed patient preferences in loading time.
STUDY DESIGN
Prospective patient questionnaire study.
SETTING
Tertiary referral center.
PATIENTS
Patients indicated for BAHI surgery received two questionnaires preoperatively: the validated Glasgow Health Status Inventory (GHSI) and a nonvalidated questionnaire that assessed patient preference for loading time and the rationale behind it. This preference questionnaire was also provided immediately, 7 days and 3 weeks (moment of sound processor loading at our center) postoperatively.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
The preoperative and postoperative preferred loading time and the postoperative changes in preference were determined. Correlations between preference and patient-specific variables were assessed.
RESULTS
Sixty patients were included. Preoperatively, 70% preferred loading within 1 week after surgery. Of all patients, 43% preferred loading on the day of surgery, mainly motivated by the fast hearing rehabilitation and practical considerations. These preferences were not correlated with the total GHSI score or duration of hearing loss. Directly postoperatively, no change in preference was observed. However, 7 days and 3 weeks after surgery, significantly more patients preferred loading at a later moment. At 7 days and at 3 weeks, 50 and 40% preferred loading within 1 week, and 12.5 and 7.5% preferred loading on the day of surgery, respectively.
CONCLUSION
The preference for the timing of sound processor loading varied among patients and differed pre- and postoperatively. Despite the postoperative decline in patients preferring earlier loading, approximately half of all patients preferred sound processor loading within 1 week after BAHI surgery.
Topics: Hearing; Hearing Aids; Humans; Patient Preference; Prospective Studies; Suture Anchors; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 32558755
DOI: 10.1097/MAO.0000000000002697 -
Journal of Anatomy Mar 2022This study assessed the intra-acquirer, intra- and inter-processor reliability, and validity of the in vivo assessment of the medial gastrocnemius (MG), lateral...
This study assessed the intra-acquirer, intra- and inter-processor reliability, and validity of the in vivo assessment of the medial gastrocnemius (MG), lateral gastrocnemius (LG) and soleus (SOL) muscle volumes using freehand 3D ultrasound (3DUS) in typically developing infants. Reliability assessments of freehand 3DUS were undertaken in infants across three ages groups: three, six and twelve months of age, with validity testing completed against magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in infants at 3 months of age. Freehand 3DUS scanning was carried out by a single acquirer, with two independent processors manually segmenting images to render volumes. MRI images were segmented independently by a separate processor, with the volumes compared to those obtained via freehand 3DUS. Reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation (ICC), coefficient of variance (CV) and minimal detectable change (MDC) across each assessment time point. Validity was assessed using the limits of agreement. ICCs for intra-acquirer reliability of the acquisition process for freehand 3DUS ranged from 0.91 to 0.99 across all muscles. ICCs for intra-processor and inter-processor reliability for the segmentation process of freehand 3DUS ranged from 0.80 to 0.98 across all muscles. Acceptable levels of agreement between muscle volume obtained by freehand 3DUS and MRI were found for all muscles; however, freehand 3DUS overestimated muscle volume of MG and LG and underestimate the SOL compared with MRI, with average absolute differences of MG = 0.3 ml, LG = 0.3 ml and Sol = 1.2 ml. Freehand 3DUS is a reliable method for measuring in vivo triceps surae muscle volume in typically developing infants. We conclude that freehand 3DUS is a useful tool to assess changes in muscle volume in response to growth and interventions in infants.
Topics: Humans; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Infant; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Muscle, Skeletal; Reproducibility of Results; Ultrasonography
PubMed: 34693531
DOI: 10.1111/joa.13565