Effect of speech-stimulus degradation on phoneme-related potential.

Auditory evoked potential (AEP) has been used to evaluate the degree of hearing and speech cognition. Because AEP generates a very small voltage relative to ambient noise, a repetitive presentation of a stimulus, such as a tone, word, or short sentence, should be employed to generate ensemble averages over trials. However, the stimulation of repetitive short words and sentences may present an unnatural situation to a subject.

Immediate effect of insoles on balance in older adults.

Background: In recent years, fall prevention in older adults has received considerable attention in healthcare. Among many interventions, insoles are considered cost-effective and easily adopted tools to improve balance in older people. Numerous studies have verified the immediate effects of insoles on balance in older adults.

Functionalized Sulfide Solid Electrolyte with Air-Stable and Chemical-Resistant Oxysulfide Nanolayer for All-Solid-State Batteries.

Sulfide solid electrolytes (SEs) with high Li-ion conductivities (σ) and soft mechanical properties have limited applications in wet casting processes for commercial all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) because of their inherent atmospheric and chemical instabilities. In this study, we fabricated sulfide SEs with a novel core-shell structure via environmental mechanical alloying, while providing sufficient control of the partial pressure of oxygen. This powder possesses notable atmospheric stability and chemical resistance because it is covered with a stable oxysulfide nanolayer that prevents deterioration of the bulk region.

Block and Random Practice: A Wii Fit Dynamic Balance Training in Older Adults.

: To compare the effectiveness of blocked and random practice schedules of balance training in dynamic balance abilities of older adults using Wii Fit balance game tasks. : Forty-one participants who were not receiving hospice care or living in a nursing home participated. Three Wii Fit balance tasks (tasks A, B, and C) were selected for training, and one task (task D) was selected as the transfer test among the nine tasks in the Wii Fit balance game software.

Superionic Halogen-Rich Li-Argyrodites Using In Situ Nanocrystal Nucleation and Rapid Crystal Growth.

Although several crystalline materials have been developed as Li-ion conductors for use as solid electrolytes in all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs), producing materials with high Li-ion conductivities is time-consuming and cost-intensive. Herein, we introduce a superionic halogen-rich Li-argyrodite (HRLA) and demonstrate its innovative synthesis using ultimate-energy mechanical alloying (UMA) and rapid thermal annealing (RTA). UMA with a 49 G-force milling energy provides a one-pot process that includes mixing, glassification, and crystallization, to produce as-milled HRLA powder that is ∼70% crystallized; subsequent RTA using an infrared lamp increases this crystallinity to ∼82% within 25 min.

Electrochemical behaviors of Li-argyrodite-based all-solid-state batteries under deep-freezing conditions.

We probe the electrochemical performance of Li-argyrodite-based all-solid-state batteries under deep-freezing conditions (-30 °C) using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The performance deterioration is mainly caused by the increased interfacial resistances of electrolyte and active materials resulting from the slow kinetics of Li-ion transport in solid materials at low temperatures.

Quantitative Analysis of Microstructures and Reaction Interfaces on Composite Cathodes in All-Solid-State Batteries Using a Three-Dimensional Reconstruction Technique.

The composite cathode of an all-solid-state battery composed of various solid-state components requires a dense microstructure and a highly percolated solid-state interface different from that of a conventional liquid-electrolyte-based Li-ion battery. Indeed, the preparation of such a system is particularly challenging. In this study, quantitative analyses of composite cathodes by three-dimensional reconstruction analysis were performed beyond the existing qualitative analysis, and their microstructures and reaction interfaces were successfully analyzed.

NF-kappaB activation in hypothalamic pro-opiomelanocortin neurons is essential in illness- and leptin-induced anorexia.

Anorexia and weight loss are prevalent in infectious diseases. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying these phenomena, we established animal models of infection-associated anorexia by administrating bacterial and viral products, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and human immunodeficiency virus-1 transactivator protein (Tat). In these models, we found that the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), a pivotal transcription factor for inflammation-related proteins, was activated in the hypothalamus.

Does the mitral annulus shrink or enlarge during systole? A real-time 3D echocardiography study.

This study was conducted to explore the geometrical changes of the mitral annulus during systole. The 3D shape of the mitral annulus was reconstructed in 13 normal subjects who had normal structure of the mitral apparatus using real-time 3D echocardiography (RT3DE) and 3D computer software. The two orthogonal (antero-posterior and commissure-commissure) dimensions, the areas (2D projected and 3D surface) and the non-planarity of the mitral annulus were estimated during early, mid and late systole.

3D geometry of a normal tricuspid annulus during systole: a comparison study with the mitral annulus using real-time 3D echocardiography.

Aim: This study was done to explore the 3D geometry of the normal tricuspid annulus and compare it with the mitral annulus (MA), using real-time 3D echocardiography (RT3DE) and newly developed 3D computer software.

Methods: Thirteen left ventricular (LV) and 13 right ventricular (RV) volumetric images were obtained using RT3DE from normal subjects. LV and RV volumetric data were segmented into 16 rotational apical planes (angle increment=11.

Assessment of left ventricular asynchrony using volume-time curves of 16 segments by real-time 3 dimensional echocardiography: comparison with tissue Doppler imaging.

Background: Recent technical developments with high-resolution real-time 3 dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) facilitate the acquisition of high quality images and the analysis of segmental volume-time curves (VTCs).

Aims: To assess left ventricular (LV) asynchrony using the VTCs of 16 segments by RT3DE, and to evaluate accuracy compared to tissue Doppler imaging (TDI).

Methods: Twenty-three heart failure (HF) patients (LVEF: 25+/-6%, age: 60+/-13 years) and 16 normal controls underwent TDI and RT3DE.