Monte Carlo Simulation of Gamma and Neutron Shielding with High-performance Ultra-heavy Cement Composite.

Purpose: As the applications of nuclear technology increase in today's world, radiation protection becomes even more important. Radiation protection is important in medical imaging applications and radiotherapy rooms. Therefore, in this research, we have investigated features of the ionizing radiation shielding of the modified cement composite with iron, strontium, zinc, and zirconium elements in the photon energy range of 15 keV to 10 MeV.

Speech motor impairment in ALS is associated with multiregional cortical thinning beyond primary motor cortex.

Introduction: Cortical thinning is well-documented in individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), yet its association with speech deterioration remains understudied. This study characterizes anatomical changes in the brain within the context of speech impairment patterns in individuals with ALS, providing insight into the disease's multiregional spread and biology.

Methods: To evaluate patterns of cortical thickness in speakers with ALS with and without functional speech changes compared to healthy controls (HCs) using whole-brain and region of interest (ROI) analyses.

The relationship of rate and pause features to the communicative participation of people living with ALS.

Introduction/aims: Many people living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (PALS) report restrictions in their day-to-day communication (communicative participation). However, little is known about which speech features contribute to these restrictions. This study evaluated the effects of common speech symptoms in PALS (reduced overall speaking rate, slowed articulation rate, and increased pausing) on communicative participation restrictions.

Associations between age, sex, APOE genotype, and regional vascular physiology in typically aging adults.

Altered blood flow in the human brain is characteristic of typical aging. However, numerous factors contribute to inter-individual variation in patterns of blood flow throughout the lifespan. To better understand the mechanisms behind such variation, we studied how sex and APOE genotype, a primary genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), influence associations between age and brain perfusion measures.

Cooling spray or lidocaine spray and needle insertion pain in hemodialysis patients: an open-label cross-over randomized clinical trial.

Background: The needle insertion pain to perform hemodialysis is the main challenge and a common problem that requires pain management techniques for patients' comfort.

Aim: This study aimed to compare the effects of cooling and lidocaine sprays on needle insertion pain in hemodialysis patients.

Methods: In this randomized cross-over clinical trial study, the hemodialysis patients were selected through convenience sampling according to inclusion criteria and randomly assigned to three intervention groups using the block randomization method.

Acoustic and Kinematic Assessment of Motor Speech Impairment in Patients With Suspected Four-Repeat Tauopathies.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to use acoustic and kinematic speech measures to characterize type of motor speech impairment-apraxia of speech (AOS) versus dysarthria-in individuals with four-repeat tauopathy (4RT)-associated syndromes, including nonfluent variant primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA), primary progressive AOS (PPAOS), corticobasal syndrome (CBS), and progressive supranuclear palsy syndrome (PSPs).

Method: Twenty patient participants were recruited and stratified into two groups: (a) a motor-speech-impaired group of individuals with nfvPPA, PPAOS, CBS, or PSPs and suspected 4RT pathology ("MSI+") and (b) a non-motor-speech-impaired group of individuals with logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia ("MSI-"). Ten healthy, age-matched controls also participated in the study.

Rate of speech decline in individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Although speech declines rapidly in some individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), longitudinal changes in speech have rarely been characterized. The study objectives were to model the rate of decline in speaking rate and speech intelligibility as a function of disease onset site, sex, and age at onset in 166 individuals with ALS; and estimate time to speech loss from symptom onset. We also examined the association between clinical (speaking rate/intelligibility) measures and patient-reported measures of ALS progression (ALSFRS-R).

Factors Influencing the Accurate Identification of Written Minimal Pairs with Graphemic Similarity: Evidence from Persian-Speaking Children and Adults.

In this study, we compared children's and adults' ability to accurately identify target words in written minimal pairs (WMPs) with graphemically similar letters while accounting for factors such as gender, similarity of the middle letter in WMPs, mono- versus dimorphemic WMPs, number of syllable, homography, and imageability. Fifty children and fifty adults were exposed to a distractor stimulus as a pre-mask, followed by the target, and then a post-mask stimulus. Subsequently, the corresponding WMPs including the target word and its graphemically minimal contrast were presented to the participants to obtain their reaction time (RT) in accurately identifying the target word.

Home-Based Music Therapy to Support Bulbar and Respiratory Functions of Persons with Early and Mid-Stage Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis-Protocol and Results from a Feasibility Study.

Respiratory failure, malnutrition, aspiration pneumonia, and dehydration are the precursors to mortality in ALS. Loss of natural communication is considered one of the worst aspects of ALS. This first study to test the feasibility of a music therapy protocol for bulbar and respiratory rehabilitation in ALS employs a mixed-methods case study series design with repeated measures.

Longitudinal Recovery of Speech Motor Function Following Facial Transplantation: A Prospective Observational Study.

Objectives: Although facial transplantation is considered effective for restoring facial appearance, research on speech outcomes following surgery is limited. More research is critically needed to inform patients of expected rates and extent of recovery, and to develop interventions aimed at improving speech outcomes.

Methods: Four patients in early recovery (3 weeks-24 months postsurgery) and three patients in late recovery (36-60 months postsurgery) were included.

Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex to Reduce the Symptoms of the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Introduction: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is one of the most common debilitating mental disorders with a prevalence rate of 2% to 3% in the general population. Previous studies have indicated abnormalities in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of OCD patients; thus, we decided to use transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) to decline these patients' symptoms.

Methods: A total of 24 patients with OCD participated in this study with the hope of improvement after the application of tDCS.

Premature Ventricular Contraction (PVC) Detection System Based on Tunable Q-Factor Wavelet Transform.

Background: The Electrocardiogram (ECG) is an important measure for diagnosing the presence or absence of heart arrhythmias. Premature ventricular contractions (PVC) is a relatively large arrhythmia occurring outside the normal tract and being triggered outside the Sino atrial (SA) node of heart.

Objective: This study has focused on tunable Q-factor wavelet transform (TQWT) algorithm and statistical methods to detect PVC.

Co-Occurrence of Hypernasality and Voice Impairment in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Acoustic Quantification.

Purpose: Hypernasality and atypical voice characteristics are common features of dysarthric speech due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Existing acoustic measures have been developed to primarily target either hypernasality or voice impairment, and the effects of co-occurring hypernasality-voice problems on these measures are unknown. This report explores (a) the extent to which acoustic measures are affected by concurrent perceptually identified hypernasality and voice impairment due to ALS and (b) candidate acoustic measures of early indicators of hypernasality and voice impairment in the presence of multisystem involvement in individuals with ALS.

Finding the Next Resident Physicians in the COVID-19 Global Pandemic: An Applicant Survey on the 2020 Virtual Urology Residency Match.

Objective: To assess interviewing applicant perceptions of a virtual urology residency interview in the setting of changes mandated by COVID-19 and to determine applicant preference for virtual or in person interviews. Applicant perceptions of multiple interview components were queried to identify program specific and interview modality specific strengths or weaknesses in the 2020 to 2021 Urology Match.

Methods: A 12 question multiple choice and free text survey was emailed to 66 virtually interviewed applicants for open residency positions at a metropolitan training program after conclusion of interviews.

Lexicogrammatical skills in 2-year-old children with and without repaired cleft palate.

The purpose of the current research was to compare the lexical-grammatical skills of two-year-old children with and without repaired cleft palate (CP), accounting for the effect of variables such as vocabulary size at 18 months of age, maternal education level, and gender. Participants included 52 children with CP and 25 typically developing (TD) children. The CDI-WS was employed to measure vocabulary and grammatical skills.

Synthetic Biology Based on Genetic Logic Circuit, Using the Expression of Drug Resistance, BCRP Pump in MCF-7 Cancer Cell Line.

Biological circuits are developed as biological parts within a cell to carry out logical functions resembling those studied in electronics circuits. These circuits can be performed as a method to vary cellular functions, to develop cellular responses to environmental conditions, or to regulate cellular developments. This research explored the possibility of synthetic biology based on the genetic logic circuit and (not ) using the inducible expression of the both BCRP drug resistance pump and its specific shRNA in MCF-7 cancer cell line utilizing the third generation of lentiviral vectors.

Endovascular Stapler Complications During Minimally Invasive Nephrectomy: An Updated Review of the FDA MAUDE Database From 2009-2019.

Objective: To characterize the rates of endovascular stapler complications during hilar ligation in minimally invasive radical nephrectomy over the last 10 years.

Material And Methods: We reviewed the Food and Drug Administration Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience database from January 1, 2009 to August 1, 2019. Staplers were categorized according to type, namely Ethicon Inc.

Neuromotor Speech Recovery Across Different Behavioral Speech Modifications in Individuals Following Facial Transplantation.

Despite signs of facial nerve recovery within a few months following face transplantation, speech deficits persist for years. Behavioral speech modifications (e.g.

Design and evaluation of biological gate circuits and their therapeutic applications in a model of multidrug resistant cancers.

Objectives: Synthetic biology is primarily an emerging research field that consists of designing new synthetic gene circuits dedicated to targeted functions and therapies such as cancer therapy. In this study, a genetic logic NOT-IF gate is used to reduce the multidrug resistance and facilitate the malignant cancer therapy. MCF7 cancer cells were cultured in RPMI-1640 medium and transfected with lentiviral vectors including MDR1 gene and the corresponding shRNA against MDR1 with controllable promoters.

Assessing Oromotor Capacity in ALS: The Effect of a Fixed-Target Task on Lip Biomechanics.

Alternating motion rate (AMR) is a standard measure often included in neurological examinations to assess orofacial neuromuscular integrity. AMR is typically derived from recordings of patients producing repetitions of a single syllable as fast and clear as possible on one breath. Because the task places high demands on oromotor performance, particularly articulatory speed, AMRs are widely considered to be tests of maximum performance and, therefore, likely to reveal underlying neurologic deficits.

A speech measure for early stratification of fast and slow progressors of bulbar amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: lip movement jitter.

: To assess the utility of novel measures derived from a rapid syllable repetition task (i.e. oral dysdiadochokinesis [DDK]) in early stratification of fast and slow progressive bulbar amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and prediction of bulbar disease progression rate.

Vocabulary Growth From 18 to 24 Months of Age in Children With and Without Repaired Cleft Palate.

Purpose This study investigated vocabulary growth from 18 to 24 months of age in young children with repaired cleft palate (CP), children with otitis media, and typically developing (TD) children. In addition, the contributions of factors such as hearing level, middle ear status, size of consonant inventory, maternal education level, and gender to the development of expressive vocabulary were explored. Method Vocabulary size of 40 children with repaired CP, 29 children with otitis media, and 25 TD children was measured using the parent report on MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories: Words and Sentences (Fenson et al.

Contemporary Trends in Percutaneous Nephrolithomy Across New York State: A Review of the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System.

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is a complex multistep surgery that has shown a steady increase in use for the past decade in the United States. We sought to evaluate the trends and factors associated with PCNL usage across New York State (NYS). Our goal was to characterize patient demographics and socioeconomic factors across high-, medium-, and low-volume institutions.