Facial Expression Recognition for Measuring Jurors' Attention in Acoustic Jury Tests.

The perception of sound greatly impacts users' emotional states, expectations, affective relationships with products, and purchase decisions. Consequently, assessing the perceived quality of sounds through jury testing is crucial in product design. However, the subjective nature of jurors' responses may limit the accuracy and reliability of jury test outcomes. This research explores the utility of facial expression analysis in jury testing to enhance response reliability and mitigate subjectivity. Some quantitative indicators allow the research hypothesis to be validated, such as the correlation between jurors' emotional responses and valence values, the accuracy of jury tests, and the disparities between jurors' questionnaire responses and the emotions measured by FER (facial expression recognition). Specifically, analysis of attention levels during different statuses reveals a discernible decrease in attention levels, with 70 percent of jurors exhibiting reduced attention levels in the 'distracted' state and 62 percent in the 'heavy-eyed' state. On the other hand, regression analysis shows that the correlation between jurors' valence and their choices in the jury test increases when considering the data where the jurors are attentive. The correlation highlights the potential of facial expression analysis as a reliable tool for assessing juror engagement. The findings suggest that integrating facial expression recognition can enhance the accuracy of jury testing in product design by providing a more dependable assessment of user responses and deeper insights into participants' reactions to auditory stimuli.

Fabrication and optimization of electrospun polymeric nanofibers loaded with 5-fluorouracil and rosemary extract.

BACKGROUND: Topical 5-fluorouracil [5FU] is one of the mostly prescribed medications for different types of skin cancer; however, it is associated with drug resistance and adverse effects. Rosemary extract has promising dose-dependent antitumor effects, as well as a synergistic effect in combination with 5-fluorouracil besides sensitizing the 5-FU-resistant cells. OBJECTIVE: Polymeric nanofibers loaded with 5FU and rosemary extract were optimized to combine both ingredients in one controlled release drug delivery system, aiming to enhance the efficacy while retaining the adverse effects. METHOD: Polymeric nanofibers loaded with 5-FU and rosemary were fabricated via electrospinning technique. Design expert software was utilized to study the effect of independent variables including polymer concentration, voltage, and feeding rate on the characteristics of the resulting nanofibers. Afterwards, the FTIR spectrum and release kinetic of the drug and extract from the optimized nanofibers and their cytotoxic effect against A375 cell line were investigated. RESULTS: The formulation composed of 6.65% PVA electrospun at 1 mL.h-1 and 17.5kV was chosen as the optimum fabrication condition. The mean diameter of the optimized nanofibers was 755 nm. The drug and rosemary extract contents were 75.38 and 93.42%, respectively. The fabrication yield was 100%, bioadhesion force was 1.28 N, and bead abundance was 10 per field. The cytotoxicity of the optimized formulation was significantly higher than the control groups. CONCLUSION: According to the appropriate loading percent, release efficiency and release kinetics, bioadhesion force, and cytotoxicity, these nanofibers could be further investigated as a topical treatment option to increase the efficacy of 5-FU.

Differential neuropathies in hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic diabetic rats.

We investigated the effects of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia on development of peripheral neuropathy in somatic motor and sensory nerves in type 1 diabetic BB/Wor rats. The animals were maintained in a hyper- or hypoglycemic state by treatment with insulin for 3 months. Nondiabetic siblings served as controls. Qualitative analysis of the gastrocnemius and sural nerves by light and electron microscopy revealed signs of Wallerian-type axonal degeneration and regeneration of large myelinated fibers in the hypoglycemic but not the hyperglycemic animals. Degeneration was more common in the gastrocnemius nerve than in the sural nerve. In hypoglycemic rats, myelinated fibers in both the gastrocnemius and sural nerves had significantly shorter internodes and smaller diameters. The decreased fiber diameter was related (r = -0.9) to the duration of severe hypoglycemia (

Continuous glucose monitoring system signals the occurrence of marked postprandial hyperglycemia in the elderly.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to ascertain whether dysglycemic episodes occur in institutionalized elderly persons and, if that is the case, to determine whether such episodes are related to meal patterns. Another objective was to investigate the feasibility of subcutaneous (s.c.) glucose measurements in the elderly using a Medtronic MiniMed (Sylmar, CA) continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS). METHODS: Nine nursing home residents (74-95 years old) without known diabetes or other metabolic disorders were included. The s.c. glucose level was measured for 3 days with the Medtronic MiniMed CGMS. Capillary blood glucose was measured four times daily with a Glucometer Elite device (Bayer, Leverkusen, Germany). Body mass index and basal metabolic rate were calculated, and food intake was recorded. RESULTS: The s.c. glucose level fluctuated noticeably over time; 22.5% of the values recorded during the 3-day period were > or = 8 mmol/L, and values < 3.5 mmol/L were rarely seen. A marked (> 5 mmol/L) and short-term (2-4 h) increase in s.c. glucose was seen after a meal. The mean capillary blood glucose concentration was 7.5 +/- 1.8 mmol/L. Capillary blood glucose > or = 8 mmol/L was recorded on 32.5% of the measurement occasions, and no values were < 3.5 mmol/L. The s.c. glucose values agreed with corresponding capillary blood glucose levels (mean r = 0.75; range 0.43-0.86). Five participants consumed less energy than recommended according to their age, weight, and physical activity level. CONCLUSIONS: Postprandial hyperglycemia frequently occurs in elderly people living in nursing homes. The CGMS is convenient to use to detect hyperglycemia in this age group.

Hypoglycaemia causes degeneration of large myelinated nerve fibres in the vagus nerve of insulin-treated diabetic BB/Wor rats.

The aim of this study was to find out whether dysglycaemia causes neuropathy in the vagus nerve of insulin-treated diabetic BB/Wor rats. Specimens were collected from the left vagus nerve proximal and distal to the level of recurrent laryngeal branch and from the recurrent branch itself in control rats and diabetic BB/Wor rats subjected to hyper- or hypoglycaemia. Myelinated and unmyelinated axons were counted and myelinated axon diameters were measured by electron microscopy. In controls, the vagus nerve proximal to the recurrent branch exhibited three regions in terms of fibre composition: part A was mainly composed of large myelinated axons, part B contained small myelinated and unmyelinated axons, and part C contained mainly unmyelinated axons. The distal level resembled part C at the proximal level and the recurrent branch resembled parts A and B. In hyperglycaemic rats, a normal picture was found at the proximal and distal levels of the vagus nerve and in the recurrent branch. In hypoglycaemic rats, signs of past and ongoing degeneration and regeneration of large myelinated axons were found at the proximal and distal levels and in the recurrent branch. We conclude that hypoglycaemia elicits degenerative alterations in large myelinated axons in the vagus and recurrent laryngeal nerves in diabetic BB/Wor rats. The absence of signs of neuropathy in unmyelinated and small myelinated axons suggests that the sensory and autonomic components of the nerve are less affected. In contrast, the hyperglycaemic rats examined here did not show obvious degenerative alterations.

Continuous monitoring of the subcutaneous glucose level in freely moving normal and diabetic rats and in humans with type 1 diabetes.

Laboratory animals are extensively used in diabetic research. However, it is not known whether the glucose dynamics in laboratory animals are similar to the dynamics in humans. The aim of the present study is to see whether the Medtronic MiniMed continuous subcutaneous glucose monitoring system can be used to record fluctuations of the glucose level in freely moving normal and insulin-treated diabetic rats. The monitoring system was applied during 3 days to normal and diabetic hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic rats treated with insulin implants. Corresponding data from type 1 diabetic patients with poor glycemic control were selected retrospectively in order to note the similarities and differences. In normal rats the subcutaneous glucose level varied slightly (median = 111 mg/dL). In hyperglycemic rats the subcutaneous glucose values fluctuated markedly around a median of 226 mg/dL. The fluctuations formed a short-wave pattern with a low amplitude, superimposed on a long-wave pattern with a high amplitude. The subcutaneous glucose profile seen in type 1 diabetic patients (median = 180 mg/dL) was similar to that observed in hyperglycemic rats. In hypoglycemic rats, the subcutaneous glucose level fluctuated moderately around a median of 55 mg/dL. In these rats the fluctuations formed a short-wave pattern with low amplitude, without any obvious long-wave pattern. The subcutaneous glucose values conformed to corresponding blood glucose measurements. We conclude that the Medtronic MiniMed continuous glucose monitoring system can be used to record the subcutaneous glucose level over time in freely moving rats.