Spectral pattern recognition of improved voice quality

The self-organizing map (a neural network) was applied to the spectral pattern recognition of voice quality in 34 subjects: 15 patients operated on because of insufficient glottal closure and 19 subjects not treated for voice disorders. The voice samples, segments of sustained /a/, were perceptually rated by six experts. A self-organized acoustic feature map was first computed from tokens of /a/ and then used for the analysis of the samples. The locations of the samples on the map were determined and the distances from a normal reference were compared with the perceptual ratings. The map locations corresponded to the degree of audible disorder: the samples judged as normal were overlapping or close to the normal reference, whereas the samples judged as dysphonie were located further away from it. The comparison of pre- and postoperative samples of the patients showed that the perceived improvement of voice quality was also detected by the map.     

Two-photon laser spectroscopy of the muonium 1S–2S transition

The 1² S _1/2(F=1)?2² S _1/2(F=1) energy interval in muonium has been investigated by Doppler-free two-photon laser spectroscopy. The transition was observed by uniquely identifying and counting the muons released after the photoionization of the 2S state by the same laser field. The measured transition frequency of 2455 528016(58)(43) MHz is in good agreement with QED calculations. The experiment can be interpreted as a test of the Lamb shift contributions at the 1% level. The method is also well suited for a precise determination of the mass of the positive muon in a muoniumhydrogen isotope shift measurement.     

Synthesis and properties of the Co7Se8−xSx and Ni7Se8−xSx solid solutions

We report the synthesis and elementary properties of the Co₇Se_8−xS_x (x=0-8) and Ni₇Se_8−xS_x (x=0-7) solid solutions. Both systems form a NiAs-type structure with metal vacancies. In general, the lattice parameters decrease with increasing x, but in the Ni₇Se_8−xS_x system c increases on going from x=5 to 7. Magnetic susceptibility measurements show that all samples exhibit temperature-independent paramagnetism from 25-250 K. Samples within the Co₇Se_8−xS_x system, as well as Ni₇Se₈ and Ni₇SeS₇, were found to be poor metals with resistivities of ∼0.20 and ∼0.06 mΩ cm at 300 K, respectively. The Sommerfeld constant (γ) was determined from specific heat measurements to be ∼13 mJ/mol_CoK² and ∼7 mJ/mol_NiK² for Co₇Se_8−xS_x and Ni₇Se_8−xS_x, respectively.     

Biological Risk Assessment of Three Dental Composite Materials following Gas Plasma Exposure

Gas plasma is an approved technology that generates a plethora of reactive oxygen species, which are actively applied for chronic wound healing. Its particular antimicrobial action has spurred interest in other medical fields, such as periodontitis in dentistry. Recent work has indicated the possibility of performing gas plasma-mediated biofilm removal on teeth. Teeth frequently contain restoration materials for filling cavities, e.g., resin-based composites. However, it is unknown if such materials are altered upon gas plasma exposure. To this end, we generated a new in-house workflow for three commonly used resin-based composites following gas plasma treatment and incubated the material with human HaCaT keratinocytes in vitro. Cytotoxicity was investigated by metabolic activity analysis, flow cytometry, and quantitative high-content fluorescence imaging. The inflammatory consequences were assessed using quantitative analysis of 13 different chemokines and cytokines in the culture supernatants. Hydrogen peroxide served as the control condition. A modest but significant cytotoxic effect was observed in the metabolic activity and viability after plasma treatment for all three composites. This was only partially treatment time-dependent and the composites alone affected the cells to some extent, as evident by differential secretion profiles of VEGF, for example. Gas plasma composite modification markedly elevated the secretion of IL6, IL8, IL18, and CCL2, with the latter showing the highest correlation with treatment time (Pearson’s r > 0.95). Cell culture media incubated with gas plasma-treated composite chips and added to cells thereafter could not replicate the effects, pointing to the potential that surface modifications elicited the findings. In conclusion, our data suggest that gas plasma treatment modifies composite material surfaces to a certain extent, leading to measurable but overall modest biological effects.     

A Yeast Chemical Genetic Screen Identifies Inhibitors of Human Telomerase

1. Download : Download high-res image (173KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

Highlights? Growth arrest induced by human telomerase in yeast is chemically reversible ? Readout is sensitive to telomerase catalytic activity and telomere recruitment ? Three cell-permeable compounds also inhibit purified human telomerase ? Yeast can be successfully used to screen for human telomerase inhibitors     

Application of accelerated heteronuclear single quantum coherence experiments to the rapid quantification of monosaccharides and disaccharides in dairy products

Monosaccharides and disaccharides are important dietary components, but if insufficiently metabolized by some population subgroups, they are also linked to disease patterns. Thus, the correct analytical identification, quantification, and labeling of these food components are crucial to inform and potentially protect consumers. Enzymatic assays and high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection are established methods for the quantification of monosaccharides and disaccharides that, however, require long measuring times (60–180 min). Accelerated methods for the identification and quantification of the nutritionally relevant monosaccharides and disaccharides d -glucose, d -galactose, d -fructose, sucrose, lactose, and maltose were therefore developed. To realize this goal, the NMR experiments HSQC (heteronuclear single quantum coherence) and acceleration by sharing adjacent polarization (ASAP)-HSQC were applied. Measurement times were reduced to 27 and 6 min, respectively, by optimizing the interscan delay and applying non-uniform sampling. The optimized methods were used to quantify d -glucose, d -galactose, d -fructose, sucrose, and lactose in various dairy products. Results of the HSQC and ASAP-HSQC methods are equivalent to the results of the reference methods in terms of both precision and accuracy, demonstrating that these methods can be used to correctly analyze nutritionally relevant monosaccharides and disaccharides in short times.     

A study to determine whether cavitation occurs around dental ultrasonic scaling instruments

The aim of this investigation was to determine if cavitation occurred around dental ultrasonic scalers and to estimate the amount of cavitation occurring. Three styles of tip (3 x TFI-10, 3 x TFI-3, 3 x TFI-1) were used, in conjunction with a Cavitron SPS ultrasonic generator (Dentsply, USA), to insonate terephthalic acid solution. The hydroxyl radical, [*OH], concentration, produced due to cavitation from the scaler tips, was monitored by fluorescence spectroscopy. Cavitational activity was enhanced at higher power settings and at longer operating times. The tip dimensions and geometry as well as the generator power setting are both important factors that affect the production of cavitation.