-
Otology & Neurotology : Official... Sep 2023To evaluate the effectiveness of triamcinolone injections in treating external magnet displacement in cochlear implant (CI) patients with adhesions problems of their...
OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the effectiveness of triamcinolone injections in treating external magnet displacement in cochlear implant (CI) patients with adhesions problems of their processor.
PATIENTS
We present seven CI patients with magnet adhesion issues who presented to our tertiary care neurotology clinic. None of the patients had a history of head trauma, postimplant MRI, or surgery in the head and neck other than the cochlear implantation.
INTERVENTION
Triamcinolone 40 mg/mL injected subcutaneously at the CI magnet site.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
Reduction of scalp thickness and successful magnet retention.
RESULTS
Our cohort consisted of seven patients (eight implant sites) of which five were overweight or obese. The temporoparietal scalp thickness measured on preoperative CT scans varied between 8.4 and 15.9 mm. Initial conservative measures such as hair shaving at the magnet site, using a headband, and increasing magnet strength failed in all patients. After receiving triamcinolone injections at the CI receiver site, six out of seven patients (seven out of eight CI sites) were able to use their processor again without the need for a headband for an average of 9.55 hours/day. The average number of injections required for each patient was 2.57 (SD = 2.18), median (range) = 1 (1-7). One patient required a flap thinning surgery but showed no improvement even after flap thinning. None of the patients showed skin irritation, breakdown, ulceration, necrosis, or magnet exposure during follow-up period.
CONCLUSIONS
The significant improvement in CI retention shows that triamcinolone injections are effective in making the subcutaneous tissue thinner and allowing magnet retention.
Topics: Humans; Cochlear Implants; Magnets; Retrospective Studies; Cochlear Implantation; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Triamcinolone
PubMed: 37550870
DOI: 10.1097/MAO.0000000000003974 -
Otology & Neurotology : Official... Apr 2024To report speech recognition outcomes and processor use based on timing of cochlear implant (CI) activation.
OBJECTIVE
To report speech recognition outcomes and processor use based on timing of cochlear implant (CI) activation.
STUDY DESIGN
Retrospective cohort.
SETTING
Tertiary referral center.
PATIENTS
A total of 604 adult CI recipients from October 2011 to March 2022, stratified by timing of CI activation (group 1: ≤10 d, n = 47; group 2: >10 d, n = 557).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Average daily processor use; Consonant-Nucleus-Consonant (CNC) and Arizona Biomedical (AzBio) in quiet at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month visits; time to peak performance.
RESULTS
The groups did not differ in sex ( p = 0.887), age at CI ( p = 0.109), preoperative CNC ( p = 0.070), or preoperative AzBio in quiet ( p = 0.113). Group 1 had higher median daily processor use than group 2 at the 1-month visit (12.3 versus 10.7 h/d, p = 0.017), with no significant differences at 3, 6, and 12 months. The early activation group had superior median CNC performance at 3 months (56% versus 46%, p = 0.007) and 12 months (60% versus 52%, p = 0.044). Similarly, the early activation group had superior median AzBio in quiet performance at 3 months (72% versus 59%, p = 0.008) and 12 months (75% versus 68%, p = 0.049). Both groups were equivalent in time to peak performance for CNC and AzBio. Earlier CI activation was significantly correlated with higher average daily processor use at all follow-up intervals.
CONCLUSION
CI activation within 10 days of surgery is associated with increased early device usage and superior speech recognition at both early and late follow-up visits. Timing of activation and device usage are modifiable factors that can help optimize postoperative outcomes in the CI population.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Cochlear Implants; Retrospective Studies; Speech Perception; Cochlear Implantation; Speech; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 38437818
DOI: 10.1097/MAO.0000000000004150 -
Scientific Reports Aug 2023Electromagnetic wave-based analogue computing has become an interesting computing paradigm demonstrating the potential for high-throughput, low power, and parallel...
Electromagnetic wave-based analogue computing has become an interesting computing paradigm demonstrating the potential for high-throughput, low power, and parallel operations. In this work, we propose a technique for the calculation of derivatives of temporal signals by exploiting transmission line techniques. We consider multiple interconnected waveguides (with some of them being closed-ended stubs) forming junctions. The transmission coefficient of the proposed structure is then tailored by controlling the length and number of stubs at the junction, such that the differentiation operation is applied directly onto the envelope of an incident signal sinusoidally modulated in the time domain. The physics behind the proposed structure is explained in detail and a full theoretical description of this operation is presented, demonstrating how this technique can be used to calculate higher order or even fractional temporal derivatives. We envision that these results may enable the development of further time domain wave-based analogue processors by exploiting waveguide junctions, opening new opportunities for wave-based single operators and systems.
PubMed: 37573358
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40046-3 -
Journal of Food Science and Technology Nov 2023Thermal processing remains the key processing technology for food products. However, there are some limitations for thermal processing such as loss of sensory and... (Review)
Review
UNLABELLED
Thermal processing remains the key processing technology for food products. However, there are some limitations for thermal processing such as loss of sensory and nutritional quality. Furthermore, nowadays consumers are looking forward for fresh like products which are free from chemical preservatives, yet having longer shelf life. Thus, alternative processing techniques are gaining popularity among food processors to replace conventional thermal processing keeping nutritional quality, sensory attributes and food safety in mind. The alternative processing techniques such as ultrasound, gamma irradiation, high pressure processing and microwave treatment causes several modifications (structural changes, effects on swelling and solubility index, gelatinization behaviour, pasting or rheological properties, retrogradation and cooking time) in physicochemical and functional properties of pulse starches which offers several advantages from commercial point of view. This review aims to summarize the effect of different alternative processing techniques on the structure, solubility, gelatinization, retrogradation and pasting properties of various pulse starches.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-022-05557-3.
PubMed: 37711574
DOI: 10.1007/s13197-022-05557-3 -
Materials (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2023The von Neumann architecture has faced challenges requiring high-fulfillment levels due to the performance gap between its processor and memory. Among the numerous...
The von Neumann architecture has faced challenges requiring high-fulfillment levels due to the performance gap between its processor and memory. Among the numerous resistive-switching random-access memories, the properties of hexagonal boron nitride (BN) have been extensively reported, but those of amorphous BN have been insufficiently explored for memory applications. Herein, we fabricated a Pt/BN/TiN device utilizing the resistive switching mechanism to achieve synaptic characteristics in a neuromorphic system. The switching mechanism is investigated based on the I-V curves. Utilizing these characteristics, we optimize the potentiation and depression to mimic the biological synapse. In artificial neural networks, high-recognition rates are achieved using linear conductance updates in a memristor device. The short-term memory characteristics are investigated in depression by controlling the conductance level and time interval.
PubMed: 37895680
DOI: 10.3390/ma16206698 -
IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis... Jul 2024Conventional cameras capture image irradiance (RAW) on a sensor and convert it to RGB images using an image signal processor (ISP). The images can then be used for...
Conventional cameras capture image irradiance (RAW) on a sensor and convert it to RGB images using an image signal processor (ISP). The images can then be used for photography or visual computing tasks in a variety of applications, such as public safety surveillance and autonomous driving. One can argue that since RAW images contain all the captured information, the conversion of RAW to RGB using an ISP is not necessary for visual computing. In this paper, we propose a novel ρ-Vision framework to perform high-level semantic understanding and low-level compression using RAW images without the ISP subsystem used for decades. Considering the scarcity of available RAW image datasets, we first develop an unpaired CycleR2R network based on unsupervised CycleGAN to train modular unrolled ISP and inverse ISP (invISP) models using unpaired RAW and RGB images. We can then flexibly generate simulated RAW images (simRAW) using any existing RGB image dataset and finetune different models originally trained in the RGB domain to process real-world camera RAW images. We demonstrate object detection and image compression capabilities in RAW-domain using RAW-domain YOLOv3 and RAW image compressor (RIC) on camera snapshots. Quantitative results reveal that RAW-domain task inference provides better detection accuracy and compression efficiency compared to that in the RGB domain. Furthermore, the proposed ρ-Vision generalizes across various camera sensors and different task-specific models. An added benefit of employing the ρ-Vision is the elimination of the need for ISP, leading to potential reductions in computations and processing times.
PubMed: 38285590
DOI: 10.1109/TPAMI.2024.3359326 -
Physical Review Letters Nov 2023The spin-orbit interaction in spin qubits enables spin-flip transitions, resulting in Rabi oscillations when an external microwave field is resonant with the qubit...
The spin-orbit interaction in spin qubits enables spin-flip transitions, resulting in Rabi oscillations when an external microwave field is resonant with the qubit frequency. Here, we introduce an alternative driving mechanism mediated by the strong spin-orbit interactions in hole spin qubits, where a far-detuned oscillating field couples to the qubit phase. Phase-driving at radio frequencies, orders of magnitude slower than the microwave qubit frequency, induces highly nontrivial spin dynamics, violating the Rabi resonance condition. By using a qubit integrated in a silicon fin field-effect transistor, we demonstrate a controllable suppression of resonant Rabi oscillations and their revivals at tunable sidebands. These sidebands enable alternative qubit control schemes using global fields and local far-detuned pulses, facilitating the design of dense large-scale qubit architectures with local qubit addressability. Phase-driving also decouples Rabi oscillations from noise, an effect due to a gapped Floquet spectrum and can enable Floquet engineering high-fidelity gates in future quantum processors.
PubMed: 38000439
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.197001 -
The Journal of the Acoustical Society... Aug 2023Frequency-difference matched-field processing is a high-frequency source localization technique formulated by matching the frequency-difference autoproduct of the...
Frequency-difference matched-field processing is a high-frequency source localization technique formulated by matching the frequency-difference autoproduct of the measured field and replicas at the difference-frequency. Although it successfully localizes sound sources by sparse vertical array in shallow or deep ocean with an environmental mismatch, there is still some ambiguity in replica modeling and signal processing. Here, the existing conventional processor is modified to match the bandwidth-averaged autoproduct of the measured field with replicas of the bandwidth-averaged autoproduct, or approximately its self-term for the expected source locations. The proposed processor is consistent with the perspective of matched-field processing and can naturally relieve some drawbacks of the existing one, such as low peak or low dynamic range on the ambiguity surface. Numerical tests are carried out in several shallow ocean environments and the source localization using experimental data are performed to confirm the properties of the proposed processor. It is found that the high-frequency diffracted field always leaves traces on its bandwidth-averaged autoproduct field. These high-frequency marks cause a bias in source localization in the presence of a sound speed mismatch even in low difference-frequencies.
PubMed: 37581405
DOI: 10.1121/10.0020589 -
Optics Letters Nov 2023Electromagnetic wave analog computing is an effective method to overcome the bottleneck of electronic computing, which has attracted the attention of scientists....
Electromagnetic wave analog computing is an effective method to overcome the bottleneck of electronic computing, which has attracted the attention of scientists. However, many spatial analog signal processing systems based on electromagnetic waves can only execute one unique mathematical operator and cannot provide multiple operators for users to choose arbitrarily. In order to enhance the function of the current spatial analog computing system, we design a coding structure with amplitude-phase decoupling modulation to realize the analog signal processor that supports the switching of mathematical operators and demonstrate the precise switching from the first-order spatial differential operator to the first-order spatial integral operator. Our design idea can be used as a paradigm for designing small reconfigurable analog computing systems, paving the way for the construction of high-speed, multifunctional, and universal signal processing systems. This idea can be extended to any other range of waves.
PubMed: 37910675
DOI: 10.1364/OL.498519 -
PloS One 2023Prion diseases are transmissible, fatal neurologic diseases that include Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) in humans, chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids, bovine...
Prion diseases are transmissible, fatal neurologic diseases that include Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) in humans, chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle and scrapie in sheep. Prions are extremely difficult to inactivate and established methods to reduce prion infectivity are often dangerous, caustic, expensive, or impractical. Identifying viable and safe methods for treating prion contaminated materials is important for hospitals, research facilities, biologists, hunters, and meat-processors. For three decades, some prion researchers have used a phenolic product called Environ LpH (eLpH) to inactivate prions. ELpH has been discontinued, but a similar product, Wex-cide 128, containing the similar phenolic chemicals as eLpH is now available. In the current study, we directly compared the anti-prion efficacy of eLpH and Wex-cide 128 against prions from four different species (hamster 263K, cervid CWD, mouse 22L and human CJD). Decontamination was performed on either prion infected brain homogenates or prion contaminated steel wires and mouse bioassay was used to quantify the remaining prion infectivity. Our data show that both eLpH and Wex-cide 128 removed 4.0-5.5 logs of prion infectivity from 22L, CWD and 263K prion homogenates, but only about 1.25-1.50 logs of prion infectivity from human sporadic CJD. Wex-cide 128 is a viable substitute for inactivation of most prions from most species, but the resistance of CJD to phenolic inactivation is a concern and emphasizes the fact that inactivation methods should be confirmed for each target prion strain.
Topics: Cricetinae; Humans; Animals; Cattle; Mice; Sheep; Prions; Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome; Scrapie; Brain; Deer; Disinfectants; Phenols; Sprains and Strains
PubMed: 37616303
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290325