Acevedocrews5822

proved to be a promising method to strengthen severely damaged incisors.Recent research has established a connection between hearing aid (HA) users' cognition and speech recognition performance with short and long compression release times (RT). Contradictive findings prevent researchers from using cognition to predict RT prescription. We hypothesized that the linguistic context of speech recognition test materials was one of the factors that accounted for the inconsistency. The present study was designed to examine the relationship between HA users' cognition and their aided speech recognition performance with short and long RTs using materials with various linguistic contexts. Thirty-four older HA users' cognitive abilities were quantified using a reading span test. They were fitted with behind-the-ear style HAs with adjustable RT settings. Three speech recognition tests were used the word-in-noise (WIN) test, the American four alternative auditory feature (AFAAF) test, and the Bamford-Kowal-Bench speech-in-noise (BKB-SIN) test. The results showed that HA users with high cognitive abilities performed better on the AFAAF and the BKB-SIN than those with low cognitive abilities when using short RT. None of the speech recognition tests produced significantly different performance between the two RTs for either cognitive group. These findings did not support our hypothesis. The results suggest that cognition might not be important in prescribing RT.Phase reconstruction is in general a non-trivial problem when it comes to devices where the reference is not accessible. A non-convex iterative optimization algorithm is proposed in this paper in order to reconstruct the phase in reference-less spherical multiprobe measurement systems based on a rotating arch of probes. The algorithm is based on the reconstruction of the phases of self-transmitting devices in multiprobe systems by taking advantage of the on-axis top probe of the arch. One of the limitations of the top probe solution is that when rotating the measurement system arch, the relative phase between probes is lost. This paper proposes a solution to this problem by developing an optimization iterative algorithm that uses partial knowledge of relative phase between probes. The iterative algorithm is based on linear combinations of signals when the relative phase is known. Phase substitution and modal filtering are implemented in order to avoid local minima and make the algorithm converge. Several noise-free examples are presented and the results of the iterative algorithm analyzed. The number of linear combinations used is far below the square of the degrees of freedom of the non-linear problem, which is compensated by a proper initial guess. With respect to noisy measurements, the top probe method will introduce uncertainties for different azimuth and elevation positions of the arch. This is modelled by considering the real noise model of a low-cost receiver and the results demonstrate the good accuracy of the method. Numerical results on antenna measurements are also presented. Due to the numerical complexity of the algorithm, it is limited to electrically small- or medium-size problems.Laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing is among the most used industrial processes, allowing for the production of customizable and geometrically complex parts at relatively low cost. Although different aspects of the powder spreading process have been investigated, questions remain on the process repeatability on the actual beam-powder bed interaction. Given the influence of the formed bed on the quality of the final part, understanding the spreading mechanism is crucial for process optimization. read more In this work, a Discrete Element Method (DEM) model of the spreading process is adopted to investigate the spreading process and underline the physical phenomena occurring. With parameters validated through ad hoc experiments, two spreading velocities, accounting for two different flow regimes, are simulated. The powder distribution in both the accumulation and deposition zone is investigated. Attention is placed on how density, effective layer thickness, and particle size distribution vary throughout the powder bed. The physical mechanism leading to the observed characteristics is discussed, effectively defining the window for the process parameters.Local Positioning Systems (LPS) have become an active field of research in the last few years. Their application in harsh environments for high-demanded accuracy applications is allowing the development of technological activities such as autonomous navigation, indoor localization, or low-level flights in restricted environments. LPS consists of ad-hoc deployments of sensors which meets the design requirements of each activity. Among LPS, those based on temporal measurements are attracting higher interest due to their trade-off among accuracy, robustness, availability, and costs. The Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) is extended in the literature for LPS applications and consequently we perform, in this paper, an analysis of the optimal sensor deployment of this architecture for achieving practical results. This is known as the Node Location Problem (NLP) and has been categorized as NP-Hard. Therefore, heuristic solutions such as Genetic Algorithms (GA) or Memetic Algorithms (MA) have been applied in the literature for the NLP. In this paper, we introduce an adaptation of the so-called MA-Solis Wets-Chains (MA-SW-Chains) for its application in the large-scale discrete discontinuous optimization of the NLP in urban scenarios. Our proposed algorithm MA-Variable Neighborhood Descent-Chains (MA-VND-Chains) outperforms the GA and the MA of previous proposals for the NLP, improving the accuracy achieved by 17% and by 10% respectively for the TDOA architecture in the urban scenario introduced.Background and Objectives The multidrug resistant (MDR) bacterial pathogenic infection is one of the chief worldwide public health threat to humanity. The development of novel antibiotics against MDR Gram negative bacteria has reduced over the last half century. Research is in progress regarding the treatment strategies that could be engaged in combination with antibiotics to extend the duration of these life-saving antibacterial agents. The current study was therefore planned to assess the synergistic effects of bovine lactoferrin (bLF) in combination with different antibiotics that are conventionally used. This synergism would provide a newer therapeutic choice against MDR pathogens. LF is present in mucosal secretions, vastly in milk. LF is considered an important constituent in host defense. In previous reports, LF has been co-administered as a combination antibiotic therapy. Materials and Methods This study included synergistic (LF + appropriate antibiotic) exposure against 147 locally encountered bacterial pathogens, which were completely characterized strains.