Creating the Illusion of Sportiness: Evaluating Modified Throttle Mapping and Artificial Engine Sound for Electric Vehicles

Modern computerized vehicles offer the possibility of changing vehicle parameters with the aim of creating a novel driving experience, such as an increased feeling of sportiness. For example, electric vehicles can be designed to provide an artificial sound, and the throttle mapping can be adjusted to give drivers the illusion that they are driving a sports vehicle (i.e., without altering the vehicle’s performance envelope). However, a fundamental safety-related question is how drivers perceive and respond to vehicle parameter adjustments. As of today, human-subject research on throttle mapping is unavailable, whereas research on sound enhancement is mostly conducted in listening rooms, which provides no insight into how drivers respond to the auditory cues. This study investigated how perceived sportiness and driving behavior are affected by adjustments in vehicle sound and throttle mapping. Through a within-subject simulator-based experiment, we investigated (1) Modified Throttle Mapping (MTM), (2) Artificial Engine Sound (AES) via a virtually elevated rpm, and (3) MTM and AES combined, relative to (4) a Baseline condition and (5) a Sports car that offered increased engine power. Results showed that, compared to Baseline, AES and MTM-AES increased perceived sportiness and yielded a lower speed variability in curves. Furthermore, MTM and MTM-AES caused higher vehicle acceleration than Baseline during the first second of driving away from a standstill. Mean speed and comfort ratings were unaffected by MTM and AES. The highest sportiness ratings and fastest driving speeds were obtained for the Sports car. In conclusion, the sound enhancement not only increased the perception of sportiness but also improved drivers’ speed control performance, suggesting that sound is used by drivers as functional feedback. The fact that MTM did not affect the mean driving speed indicates that drivers adapted their “gain” to the new throttle mapping and were not susceptible to risk compensation.

Impact on the fitness of N95 masks with extended use/limited reuse and dry heat decontamination

Substandard use of N95 masks, sometimes combined with dry heat decontamination, lacks safety data. We evaluated the impact of these practices on the fitness of N95 masks. This is a non-human subject research conducted from July to October 2020. 155 masks were used by 12 healthcare workers during 10-hour shifts. Masks were collected at the end of the shift and if the number of donnings/doffings was less than five (‘modified extended use’, ME) or whenever this number reached five (‘limited reuse’, LR), per the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Masks that passed an Occupational Safety and Health Administration qualitative fit test underwent a cycle (30 min, 75°C) of dry heat decontamination. After use, 84% (95% CI 77% to 90%) of the masks fit the users, 85% (95% CI 73% to 93%) in ME and 83% (95% CI 73% to 90%) in LR. After dry heat, 86% of the fitted masks (95% CI 78% to 91%) still fit, 93% (95% CI 80% to 98%) in ME and 82% (95% CI 70% to 89%) in LR. If a fit test was not done before decontamination, 72% (95% CI 64% to 79%) of the masks would fit, 79% (95% CI 66% to 88%) in ME and 68% (95% CI 57% to 77%) in LR. Common substandard use preserves fitness of N95 masks up to 85%. One cycle of dry heat decontamination preserves fitness of N95 masks up to 93% when donned/doffed less than five times and fitness is ensured before decontamination. If a fit test is not performed beforehand, dry heat decontamination cannot preserve the fitness of used N95 masks above 80%.

Assisted annotation in Deep LOGISMOS: Combining deep learning and graph optimization for simultaneous multi-compartment 3D segmentation of calf muscles on MRI

<div>175 MR images of 350 lower legs from 93 subjects (47 healthy, 35 DM1, 6 Pre-DM1, 5 JDM). MR image size was 512×512×30, voxel size 0.7×0.7×7 mm, acquisition used the first echo of a 3 point Dixon gradient echo sequence, TR = 150 ms, TE=3.5 ms, FOV=36 cm, bandwidth 224 Hz/pixel, scan time 156s.<br></div><div><br></div>Human subject research approved by the University of Iowa IRB as part of NIH project R01-NS094387.

Assisted annotation in Deep LOGISMOS: Combining deep learning and graph optimization for simultaneous multi-compartment 3D segmentation of calf muscles on MRI

<div>175 MR images of 350 lower legs from 93 subjects (47 healthy, 35 DM1, 6 Pre-DM1, 5 JDM). MR image size was 512×512×30, voxel size 0.7×0.7×7 mm, acquisition used the first echo of a 3 point Dixon gradient echo sequence, TR = 150 ms, TE=3.5 ms, FOV=36 cm, bandwidth 224 Hz/pixel, scan time 156s.<br></div><div><br></div>Human subject research approved by the University of Iowa IRB as part of NIH project R01-NS094387.

Conditions of Legality of Medical Human Subject Research

The article examines international acts and national legislation and highlights the conditions for the legality of medical research with human participation. The provisions of the Nuremberg Code (1947), the Helsinki Declaration of the World Medical Association «Ethical principles for medical research involv- ing human subjects» (1964), the Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights (1997), the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Dignity of the Human Being with regard to the Application of Biology and Medicine: Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine (1997) and the Addi- tional Protocols to the Convention, Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council (EU) No 536/2014. The support of the recommendation to ratify the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine and its additional protocols in Ukraine has been expressed. It has been established that international acts stipulate that the design and implementation of each human subject research must be clearly described in the research protocol. In addition, research protocols must be subject to prior review by the Ethics Committees. It has been substantiated that international acts set for medical research standards, which are based on the principles of respect for dignity and human rights, the priority of interests of the person over the interests of society or sci- ence, compliance with safety requirements and prevention of harm to humans, mandatory permission to conduct medical examination, research and control- lability of the research process and its results, compensation for any damage caused by medical research. Conditions of legality of medical research can be divided into general (obser- vance of which is always necessary if a person participates in experiments) and special (additional conditions of legality, which are put forward depend- ing on the field or object of research, namely in the field of experiments com- bined with medical care , human genome research, in vitro embryo research, in the field of clinical trials of drugs).

Comparison of bacterial microleakage of three bioactive endodontic sealers in simulated underwater diving and aviation conditions.

Background: Bacterial microleakage is an important cause of apical periodontitis and failure of endodontic treatment. This study aimed to assess the bacterial microleakage of nano-mineral trioxide aggregate (nano-MTA) as a sealer, Endoseal MTA, and GuttaFlow Bioseal sealers in atmospheric pressure, and simulated underwater diving and aviation conditions. Methods: In this in vitro, experimental study, 180 extracted single-rooted teeth were cleaned and shaped, and were then randomly divided into three groups for single-cone obturation using Endoseal MTA, GuttaFlow Bioseal, or nano-MTA as a sealer. Each group was then randomly divided into three subgroups, and subjected to ambient atmospheric pressure, 2 atm pressure (to simulate underwater diving), and 0.5 atm pressure (to simulate aviation). The teeth then underwent microbial leakage test using Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans), and the percentage of samples showing microleakage was recorded for up to 1 month, and analyzed using the Chi-square test.Results: The three sealer groups were significantly different regarding bacterial microleakage (P<0.05). The nano-MTA group showed significantly higher microleakage after day 15 than the other two groups (P=0.006). The effect of pressure on bacterial microleakage was not significant in any sealer group (P>0.05).Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, it may be concluded that single-cone obturation technique using nano-MTA as a sealer results in lower resistance to bacterial microleakage compared with the use of GuttaFlow Bioseal, and Endoseal MTA. Pressure changes in simulated underwater diving and aviation conditions had no significant effect on bacterial microleakage. Trial Registration Number: This is not a human subject research.