Training with an auditory perceptual learning game transfers to speech in competition.

Unlabelled: Understanding speech in the presence of acoustical competition is a major complaint of those with hearing difficulties. Here, a novel perceptual learning game was tested for its effectiveness in reducing difficulties with hearing speech in competition. The game was designed to train a mixture of auditory processing skills thought to underlie speech in competition, such as spectral-temporal processing, sound localization, and auditory working memory.

High-resolution protein structure determination by serial femtosecond crystallography.

Structure determination of proteins and other macromolecules has historically required the growth of high-quality crystals sufficiently large to diffract x-rays efficiently while withstanding radiation damage. We applied serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) using an x-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) to obtain high-resolution structural information from microcrystals (less than 1 micrometer by 1 micrometer by 3 micrometers) of the well-characterized model protein lysozyme. The agreement with synchrotron data demonstrates the immediate relevance of SFX for analyzing the structure of the large group of difficult-to-crystallize molecules.

High-speed in situ X-ray scattering of carbon nanotube film nucleation and self-organization.

The production of high-performance carbon nanotube (CNT) materials demands understanding of the growth behavior of individual CNTs as well as collective effects among CNTs. We demonstrate the first use of grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering to monitor in real time the synthesis of CNT films by chemical vapor deposition. We use a custom-built cold-wall reactor along with a high-speed pixel array detector resulting in a time resolution of 10 msec.