Hyperons are a unique probe to study the non-perturbative aspects of the strong interaction. At HADES, they are produced in proton or pion induced reactions at kinetic energies up to 4.5 GeV. Already ...in the past, HADES has shown its potential for hyperon physics, including
λ
polarization,
λ
-N interaction and measurements of the
λ
(1405) and
λ
(1520) line-shapes. The HADES detector has recently been extended with a forward detector, partly developed for the PANDA experiment, extending the acceptance for hyperon channels at forward angles. The PANDA@HADES initiative gives the opportunity for an even richer hyperon program. The current main objectives are the production of hyperon resonances, electromagnetic decays of hyperons with special focus on hyperon Dalitz decays and double strangeness production, including a
λ – λ
interaction study and
ξ
−
production. First results from the ongoing studies promise a successful execution of the program. In the future, there is the possibility for a pion beam experiment with HADES, enabling further hyperon studies.
With the increasing focus on patient-centred care, this study sought to understand priorities considered by patients and healthcare providers from their experience with head and neck cancer ...treatment, and to compare how patients' priorities compare to healthcare providers' priorities. Group concept mapping was used to actively identify priorities from participants (patients and healthcare providers) in two phases. In phase one, participants brainstormed statements reflecting considerations related to their experience with head and neck cancer treatment. In phase two, statements were sorted based on their similarity in theme and rated in terms of their priority. Multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis were performed to produce multidimensional maps to visualize the findings. Two-hundred fifty statements were generated by participants in the brainstorming phase, finalized to 94 statements that were included in phase two. From the sorting activity, a two-dimensional map with stress value of 0.2213 was generated, and eight clusters were created to encompass all statements. Timely care, education, and person-centred care were the highest rated priorities for patients and healthcare providers. Overall, there was a strong correlation between patient and healthcare providers' ratings (r = 0.80). Our findings support the complexity of the treatment planning process in head and neck cancer, evident by the complex maps and highly interconnected statements related to the experience of treatment. Implications for improving the quality of care delivered and care experience of head and cancer are discussed.
Dysphagia is one consequence of head and neck cancer that has a significant impact on quality of life for head and neck cancer survivors. While survival rates continue to improve, focus has shifted ...to maximizing long-term function, with prevention or prehabilitation programs becoming more common. Prehabilitation programs typically include an exercise regime that specifies the exercise type, the number of repetitions to complete per set, the number of sets of each exercise to complete per day, as well as the length of the treatment block. Ideally, exercise programs are designed with principles of neuromuscular plasticity in mind.
Twenty-nine original research articles published between 2006 and 2020 were included in this state-of-the-art review and examined for program timing and details.
Two definitions for prehabilitation were noted: one third of the studies defined prehabilitation as preventative exercises prior to the start of acute cancer treatment; the remaining two thirds defined prehabilitation as treatment concurrent prehabilitation. Exercises prescribed ranged from general stretching and range of motion exercises, to trismus and swallowing specific exercises. The most common swallowing specific exercise was the Mendelsohn's maneuver, followed by the effortful swallow, Shaker, and Masako maneuver. The most common dose was 10 repetitions of an exercise, three times per day for the duration of radiation therapy. The most common measures were questionnaires, followed by g-tube dependence, mouth opening, and MBS reports.
This review of the literature has shed light on the variability of prehabilitation timing, exercise type, dose, duration of treatment, and outcomes associated with prehabilitation, making the selection of an optimal prehabilitation program difficult at this time.
Brain vessel status is a promising biomarker for better prevention and treatment in cerebrovascular disease. However, classic rule-based vessel segmentation algorithms need to be hand-crafted and are ...insufficiently validated. A specialized deep learning method-the U-net-is a promising alternative. Using labeled data from 66 patients with cerebrovascular disease, the U-net framework was optimized and evaluated with three metrics: Dice coefficient, 95% Hausdorff distance (95HD) and average Hausdorff distance (AVD). The model performance was compared with the traditional segmentation method of graph-cuts. Training and reconstruction was performed using 2D patches. A full and a reduced architecture with less parameters were trained. We performed both quantitative and qualitative analyses. The U-net models yielded high performance for both the full and the reduced architecture: A Dice value of ~0.88, a 95HD of ~47 voxels and an AVD of ~0.4 voxels. The visual analysis revealed excellent performance in large vessels and sufficient performance in small vessels. Pathologies like cortical laminar necrosis and a rete mirabile led to limited segmentation performance in few patients. The U-net outperfomed the traditional graph-cuts method (Dice ~0.76, 95HD ~59, AVD ~1.97). Our work highly encourages the development of clinically applicable segmentation tools based on deep learning. Future works should focus on improved segmentation of small vessels and methodologies to deal with specific pathologies.
This study aimed to identify the most salient set of acoustic predictors of (1) gender attribution; (2) perceived masculinity–femininity; and (3) perceived vocal naturalness amongst a group of ...transgender and cisgender speakers to inform voice and communication feminization training programs. This study used a unique set of acoustic variables and included a third, androgynous, choice for gender attribution ratings.
Data were collected across two phases and involved two separate groups of participants: communicators and raters. In the first phase, audio recordings were captured of communicators (n = 40) during cartoon retell, sustained vowel, and carrier phrase tasks. Acoustic measures were obtained from these recordings. In the second phase, raters (n = 20) provided ratings of gender attribution, perceived masculinity–femininity, and vocal naturalness based on a sample of the cartoon description recording.
Results of a multinomial logistic regression analysis identified mean fundamental frequency (fo) as the sole acoustic measure that changed the odds of being attributed as a woman or ambiguous in gender rather than as a man. Multiple linear regression analyses identified mean fo, average formant frequency of /i/, and mean sound pressure level as predictors of masculinity–femininity ratings and mean fo, average formant frequency, and rate of speech as predictors of vocal naturalness ratings.
The results of this study support the continued targeting of fo and vocal tract resonance in voice and communication feminization/masculinization training programs and provide preliminary evidence for more emphasis being placed on vocal intensity and rate of speech. Modification of these voice parameters may help clients to achieve a natural-sounding voice that satisfactorily represents their affirmed gender.
Conventional ion-selective electrodes with a liquid junction have the disadvantage of potential drift. All-solid-state ion-selective electrodes with solid contact in between the metal electrode and ...the ion-selective membrane offer high capacitance or conductance to enhance potential stability. Solution-casted chitosan/Prussian blue nanocomposite (ChPBN) was employed as the solid contact layer for an all-solid-state sodium ion-selective electrode in a potentiometric sodium ion sensor. Morphological and chemical analyses confirmed that the ChPBN is a macroporous network of chitosan that contains abundant Prussian blue nanoparticles. Situated between a screen-printed carbon electrode and a sodium-ionophore-filled polyvinylchloride ion-selective membrane, the ChPBN layer exhibited high redox capacitance and fast charge transfer capability, which significantly enhanced the performance of the sodium ion-selective electrode. A good Nernstian response with a slope of 52.4 mV/decade in the linear range from 10
-1 M of NaCl was observed. The stability of the electrical potential of the new solid contact was tested by chronopotentiometry, and the capacitance of the electrode was 154 ± 4 µF. The response stability in terms of potential drift was excellent (1.3 µV/h) for 20 h of continuous measurement. The ChPBN proved to be an efficient solid contact to enhance the potential stability of the all-solid-state ion-selective electrode.
Purpose Controversy exists regarding physiologic outcomes related to the tongue after radial forearm free flap (RFFF) reconstruction of hemiglossectomy defects. The purpose of this study is to report ...swallowing and tongue mobility outcomes for patients with RFFF reconstruction of the anterior two thirds of the tongue. Materials and Methods Swallowing and tongue mobility were assessed at 4 different time points over the course of 1 year of treatment for 15 patients who underwent RFFF reconstruction of the anterior two thirds of the tongue. Preoperative swallowing function in the treatment group was compared with a patient group that had no involvement of the tongue. A comparison group of 14 patients with nasopharyngeal cancer was used to compare preintervention function in patients with and without lesions of the tongue. Results No differences existed between the experimental and comparison groups before intervention. Two significant differences were found for swallowing ability and tongue mobility in the experimental group. Some of the measures at 1 month postoperatively were significantly different from some of the preoperative measures for liquid swallows and posterior-tongue mobility. All measures returned to baseline by the study's end. Conclusion Although some minor deficits exist in swallowing and tongue mobility after RFFF reconstruction, it appears that these problems are no longer evident 12 months postoperatively.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was twofold--(a) to identify a set of communication-based predictors (including both acoustic and gestural variables) of masculinity-femininity ratings and (b) to ...explore differences in ratings between audio and audiovisual presentation modes for transgender and cisgender communicators. Method: The voices and gestures of a group of cisgender men and women (n = 10 of each) and transgender women (n = 20) communicators were recorded while they recounted the story of a cartoon using acoustic and motion capture recording systems. A total of 17 acoustic and gestural variables were measured from these recordings. A group of observers (n = 20) rated each communicator's masculinity-femininity based on 30- to 45-s samples of the cartoon description presented in three modes: audio, visual, and audio visual. Visual and audiovisual stimuli contained point light displays standardized for size. Ratings were made using a direct magnitude estimation scale without modulus. Communication-based predictors of masculinity-femininity ratings were identified using multiple regression, and analysis of variance was used to determine the effect of presentation mode on perceptual ratings. Results: Fundamental frequency, average vowel formant, and sound pressure level were identified as significant predictors of masculinity-femininity ratings for these communicators. Communicators were rated significantly more feminine in the audio than the audiovisual mode and unreliably in the visual-only mode. Conclusions: Both study purposes were met. Results support continued emphasis on fundamental frequency and vocal tract resonance in voice and communication modification training with transgender individuals and provide evidence for the potential benefit of modifying sound pressure level, especially when a masculine presentation is desired.
To compare oral function and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients reconstructed with either a reconstruction plate or a free vascularized bone flap with or without 3D planning.
Patients ...from the Institute for Reconstructive Sciences in Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, and Radboud University Medical Center were included. This cross-sectional study assessed objective masticatory performance with the mixing ability test (mixing ability index MAI), maximum bite force, maximum mouth opening, and HRQoL. Differences between groups were analyzed using analysis of variance or Kruskal-Wallis test for continuous variables and chi-square test for categorical variables.
Six patients with digitally planned resections and reconstructions were included. For comparison, five patients treated with freehand bone reconstruction and four patients treated with plate reconstruction were also included. Mixing ability was superior in 3D-planned reconstructions (MAI: 20.7 ± 6.7) compared to plate reconstructions (MAI: 30.0 ± 0.1, P = .017) and freehand reconstructions (MAI: 29.5 ± 1.1, P = .017). Maximum mouth opening, bite force, and HRQoL differences did not reach statistical significance.
This study indicated a possible benefit to masticatory performance of adequate surgical planning for one-phase reconstruction using 3D technology. A larger prospective study is necessary to gain more evidence regarding this finding.
Background
The epidemiology, etiology, and management of head and neck cancer are evolving. Understanding the perspectives and priorities of nonresearchers regarding treatment uncertainties is ...important to inform future research.
Methods
Using the James Lind Alliance approach, patients, caregivers, and clinicians responded to a survey regarding their unanswered questions about treating and managing head and neck cancer. Distinct uncertainties were extracted from responses and sorted into themes. Uncertainties already answered in the literature were removed. Those remaining were ranked by patients and clinicians to develop a short list of priorities, which were discussed at a workshop and reduced to the top 10.
Results
One hundred sixty‐one respondents posed 818 uncertainties, culminating in 77 for interim ranking and 27 for discussion at a workshop. Participants reached consensus on the top 10, which included questions on prevention, screening, treatment, and quality of life.
Conclusion
Nonresearchers can effectively collaborate to establish priorities for future research in head and neck cancer.
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