Depth Dynamics via One-Bit Frequency Probing in Embedded Direct Time-of-Flight Sensing.

Time-of-flight (ToF) sensors with single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) estimate depth by accumulating a histogram of photon return times, which discards the timing information required to measure depth dynamics, such as vibrations or transient motions. We introduce a method that transforms a direct ToF sensor into a depth frequency analyzer capable of measuring high-frequency motion and transient events using only lightweight, on-sensor computations. By replacing conventional discrete Fourier transforms (DFTs) with one-bit probing sinusoids generated via oversampled sigma-delta modulation, we enable in-pixel frequency analysis without multipliers or floating-point operations.

Benefits of Cochlear Implantation for Older Adults With Asymmetric Hearing Loss.

Objective(s): FDA-approved indications for cochlear implantation include patients with severe-to-profound unilateral hearing loss (UHL) or asymmetric hearing loss (AHL); however, these indications are not covered for Medicare beneficiaries. We assessed the outcomes of cochlear implant (CI) use for older adults with UHL or AHL.

Methods: Eighteen older adults (≥65 years of age at surgery) with UHL/AHL participated in a prospective, longitudinal investigation evaluating outcomes of CI use.

Management of Cochlear Implant Electrode Arrays Misplaced in the Internal Auditory Canal: A Systematic Review.

Objective: Misplacement of electrode arrays in the internal auditory canal (IAC) presents a unique clinical challenge. Speech recognition is limited for cochlear implant (CI) users with misplaced arrays, and there are risks with revision surgery including facial and/or cochlear nerve injury.

Databases Reviewed: PubMed, Embase, and Scopus.

A Reproducible Peritonsillar Abscess Incision and Drainage Model for Junior Trainees.

Objectives: To describe the design and construction of a reproducible, low-cost, peritonsillar abscess (PTA) incision and drainage simulator and assess its impact on trainees' confidence.

Methods: The 2-part simulator we developed consisted of a manikin head with a fixed, partially open mouth and a modular PTA mold. The mold is created by injecting a lotion and water mixture into plastic bubbles, followed by silicone solidification.

Bell's Palsy and COVID-19: Insights from a Population-Based Analysis.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been linked to Bell's palsy and facial paralysis. Studies have also shown increased risk of Bell's palsy in unvaccinated COVID-19 patients. To compare the relationship between Bell's palsy and COVID-19 infection and vaccination.

A case report of uremic tumoral calcinosis in the head and neck and literature review of calcified lesions of the head and neck.

Soft-tissue calcifications in the head and neck are relatively common and are the result of a wide variety of benign and malignant pathologies. They can present a diagnostic challenge given the broad range of underlying etiologies. Uremic tumoral calcinosis (UTC) is a rare complication of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) resulting from metastatic soft tissue calcification.

Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis as a Cause of Sudden-Onset Bilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Case Report and Recommendations for Initial Assessment.

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a severe systemic vasculitis that commonly affects the paranasal sinuses, upper and lower respiratory tracts, and kidneys. GPA has also been associated with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), through inflammation of the cochlear apparatus. Early recognition, diagnostic laboratory evaluation, and appropriate treatment are essential to improve outcomes and achieve remission for patients with GPA.

Molecular Effects of Glycerol on Lipid Monolayers at the Gas-Liquid Interface: Impact on Microbubble Physical and Mechanical Properties.

The production and stability of microbubbles (MBs) is enhanced by increasing the viscosity of both the formation and storage solution, respectively. Glycerol is a good candidate for biomedical applications of MBs, since it is biocompatible, although the exact molecular mechanisms of its action is not fully understood. Here, we investigate the influence glycerol has on lipid-shelled MB properties, using a range of techniques.

Gross Pathology of Routine Pediatric Tonsillectomy Specimens: Optimizing the Value of Patient Care.

Objective: This investigation seeks to evaluate the effect of gross pathologic analysis on our management of patients undergoing routine tonsillectomy and to evaluate charges and reimbursement.

Study Design: Retrospective chart review from 2005 through 2016.

Setting: Academic medical center.

The influence of intercalating perfluorohexane into lipid shells on nano and microbubble stability.

Microbubbles are potential diagnostic and therapeutic agents. In vivo stability is important as the bubbles are required to survive multiple passages through the heart and lungs to allow targeting and delivery. Here we have systematically varied key parameters affecting microbubble lifetime to significantly increase in vivo stability.

On-chip preparation of nanoscale contrast agents towards high-resolution ultrasound imaging.

Micron-sized lipid-stabilised bubbles of heavy gas have been utilised as contrast agents for diagnostic ultrasound (US) imaging for many years. Typically bubbles between 1 and 8 μm in diameter are produced to enhance imaging in US by scattering sound waves more efficiently than surrounding tissue. A potential area of interest for Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) are bubbles with diameters <1 μm or 'nanobubbles.

High power resonant pumping of Tm-doped fiber amplifiers in core- and cladding-pumped configurations.

We have demonstrated ultra-high efficiency amplification in Tm-doped fiber with both core- and cladding-pumped configurations using a resonant tandem-pumping approach. These Tm-doped fiber amplifiers are pumped in-band with a 1908 nm Tm-doped fiber laser and operate at 1993 nm with >90% slope efficiency. In a core-pumped configuration, we have achieved 92.

Self-assembly of actin scaffolds on lipid microbubbles.

Microbubbles offer unique properties as combined carriers of therapeutic payloads and diagnostic agents. Here we report on the development of novel microbubble architectures that in addition to the usual lipid shell have an actin cytoskeletal cortex assembled on their exterior. We show, using atomic force microscopy that this biomimetic coating creates a thin mesh that allows tuning of the mechanical properties of microbubbles and that the nature of actin assembly is determined by the fluidity of the lipid layer.

Resonantly pumped Tm-doped fiber laser with >90% slope efficiency.

We have demonstrated what we believe is the highest slope efficiency reported for a Tm-doped fiber laser operating in the 2-micron spectral region. Using a 1908 nm Tm-doped fiber laser as an in-band pump source, we generated 1.43 W of output power at 2005 nm with 81.

Actin assembly at model-supported lipid bilayers.

We report on the use of supported lipid bilayers to reveal dynamics of actin polymerization from a nonpolymerizing subphase via cationic phospholipids. Using varying fractions of charged lipid, lipid mobility, and buffer conditions, we show that dynamics at the nanoscale can be used to control the self-assembly of these structures. In the case of fluid-phase lipid bilayers, the actin adsorbs to form a uniform two-dimensional layer with complete surface coverage whereas gel-phase bilayers induce a network of randomly oriented actin filaments, of lower coverage.

Oxidation of tertiary amine-derivatized surfaces to control protein adhesion.

Selective oxidation of ω-tertiary amine self-assembled thiol monolayers to tertiary amine N-oxides is shown to transform the adhesion of model proteins lysozyme and fibrinogen upon them. Efficient preparation of both secondary and tertiary linker amides as judged by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and water droplet contact angle was achieved with an improved amide bond formation on gold quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensors using 2-(1H-7-azabenzotriazol-1-yl)-1,1,3,3-tetramethyl hexafluorophosphate methanaminium uronium (HATU). Oxidation with hydrogen peroxide was similarly assessed, and adhesion of lysozyme and fibrinogen from phosphate buffered saline was then assayed by QCM and imaged by AFM.

Complementary asymmetric routes to (R)-2-(7-hydroxy-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]indol-1-yl)acetate.

Two distinct and scalable enantioselective approaches to the tricyclic indole (R)-2-(7-hydroxy-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]indol-1-yl)acetate, an important synthon for a preclinical S1P(1) receptor agonist, are reported. Route 1 employs a modified version of Smith's modular 2-substituted indole synthesis as the key transformation. Route 2 involves a highly enantioselective CuH-catalyzed 1,4-hydrosilylation as the stereodefining step.

Expanding 3D geometry for enhanced on-chip microbubble production and single step formation of liposome modified microbubbles.

Micron sized, lipid stabilized bubbles of gas are of interest as contrast agents for ultra-sound (US) imaging and increasingly as delivery vehicles for targeted, triggered, therapeutic delivery. Microfluidics provides a reproducible means for microbubble production and surface functionalisation. In this study, microbubbles are generated on chip using flow-focussing microfluidic devices that combine streams of gas and liquid through a nozzle a few microns wide and then subjecting the two phases to a downstream pressure drop.

(1aR,5aR)1a,3,5,5a-Tetrahydro-1H-2,3-diaza-cyclopropa[a]pentalene-4-carboxylic acid (MK-1903): a potent GPR109a agonist that lowers free fatty acids in humans.

G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) GPR109a is a molecular target for nicotinic acid and is expressed in adipocytes, spleen, and immune cells. Nicotinic acid has long been used for the treatment of dyslipidemia due to its capacity to positively affect serum lipids to a greater extent than other currently marketed drugs. We report a series of tricyclic pyrazole carboxylic acids that are potent and selective agonists of GPR109a.

Aβ42 oligomers, but not fibrils, simultaneously bind to and cause damage to ganglioside-containing lipid membranes.

Aβ (amyloid-β peptide) assembles to form amyloid fibres that accumulate in senile plaques associated with AD (Alzheimer's disease). The major constituent, a 42-residue Aβ, has the propensity to assemble and form soluble and potentially cytotoxic oligomers, as well as ordered stable amyloid fibres. It is widely believed that the cytotoxicity is a result of the formation of transient soluble oligomers.

Concentrating membrane proteins using asymmetric traps and AC electric fields.

Membrane proteins are key components of the plasma membrane and are responsible for control of chemical ionic gradients, metabolite and nutrient transfer, and signal transduction between the interior of cells and the external environment. Of the genes in the human genome, 30% code for membrane proteins (Krogh et al. J.