Wear Comparison of a Plain Toothbrush versus Eleven Commercial Toothbrushes

Objective: To compare the wear of the Sound Feelings SOFT Plain Toothbrush 47 tuft (flat bristles) versus eleven manual toothbrushes. Methods: Twelve brand-new manual toothbrushes (n = 35 in each group) were used for comparison. Each toothbrush was run on a toothbrushing simulator with a brushing force of 2N for approximately 2 hours to simulate 1 month of toothbrushing (9,333 strokes @ 45° lingual of posterior teeth, 9,333 strokes on the top surface, and 9,333 strokes @ 45° buccal of posterior teeth), using the Bass technique on a quadrant typodont. Wear was measured by wear index and wear rating. The Wear index measures the degree of bristle splaying whereby the bristles spread apart and take on a permanent curvature. Wear rating is a subjective rating scale consisting of a series of four numbers increasing from zero to three. The Olympus SZX16 microscope was used to measure the wear rating then was inputted into a formula and averaged. The subjective wear seen as bristle splay/ curling was also measured and recorded. Comparison of the wear index and wear rating between each manual toothbrush was conducted using the Mann-Whitney test. Results: Wear index and wear rating for all toothbrushes ranged from 0.03 to 0.34 and from 0.57 to 2.06, respectively. There was a significant difference in the wear index between each toothbrush and the Sound Feelings SOFT Plain toothbrush. The difference in the wear rating was significant between the Sound Feelings SOFT Plain toothbrush and all other toothbrushes other than the Reach Advanced Design Soft toothbrush. Conclusion: The Sound Feelings SOFT Plain Toothbrush had the lowest wear rating and index among all the manual toothbrushes tested.

Cognitive Load Theory: An Empirical Study of Anxiety and Task Performance in Language Learning

Introducción. Este estudio explora la relación entre tres variables: carga cognitiva, ansiedad hacia el idioma extranjero (IE) y, rendimiento en las tareas. La carga cognitiva hace referencia a la carga que lleva la memoria de trabajo mientras se realiza una tarea en específico. Los autores mantienen la hipótesis de que la ansiedad resta recursos a la memoria de trabajo, dejando reducida capacidad para las actividades cognitivas, e impidiendo así la eficacia.Método. Los participantes fueron 88 estudiantes matriculados en carreras de cuatro años en una universidad técnica de Taiwán. Estudiantes de filología inglesa fueron excluidos. La Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale [Escala de ansiedad en el aula de idioma extranjero] se utilizó para evaluar sus niveles de ansiedad; la Cognitive Load Subjective Rating Scale [Escala para el baremo subjetivo de la carga cognitiva] se utilizó para medir la carga cognitiva mientras realizaban una tarea de comprensión oral en inglés.Resultados. Los estudiantes con mayor ansiedad hacia el idioma extranjero también incurrían en una mayor carga cognitiva. La ansiedad hacia el IE y la carga cognitiva presentaban una correlación negativa con la comprensión oral.Discusión. Los aprendices que sufren más ansiedad incurren en una mayor carga cognitiva y consiguen peores resultados en sus exámenes. Para favorecer la eficacia del aprendizaje, se recomienda a los docentes que identifiquen las situaciones que provoquen ansiedad y que creen un ambiente de apoyo en el aprendizaje, lo que permitiría que los aprendices dedicasen los recursos de la memoria de trabajo totalmente a las tareas de aprendizaje.

A Subjective Rating Scale for Initial Assessment of Sudden Unilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Objective: To examine the value of a subjective numerical rating scale (NRS) in the initial evaluation of patients suspected of suffering from unilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) until a formal audiogram is available. Study Design: Prospective noncontrolled clinical study. Methods: Thirty-one consecutive patients referred to the emergency department due to suspected unilateral SSNHL and with no other aural pathology by history or physical examination were enrolled. Patients were asked to characterize the severity of their hearing loss using an NRS of 1 (normal hearing) to 6 (complete deafness). SSNHL was defined as an SNHL of at least 30 dB over 3 consecutive frequencies that occurred in 3 days or less. A formal audiogram was obtained subsequently as soon as available. Results: Twenty-four patients were treated with steroids and met the audiometric criteria of SSNHL. All scored their NRS as 3 or more. None of the 7 patients whose NRS grades were ≤2.5 met the criteria for SSNHL. Two patients were treated with steroids although their hearing did not meet the audiometric criteria for SSNHL as the hearing loss was limited to 2 consecutive frequencies. The NRS score for both was <3. Conclusion: In addition to the patient's history and physical examination, a NRS can be a useful tool in the preliminary assessment of patients suspected of having SSNHL until audiometry becomes available. In the scale of 1-6, an NRS score of 3 or more reliably predicts the need to treat the patient with steroids according to the accepted criteria.

Speech Recognition and Subjective Perceptions of Neck-Loop FM Receivers With Cochlear Implants

Purpose The goal of this investigation was to determine the potential benefit of using electromagnetically coupled frequency modulation (FM) neck-loop receivers to address common communication difficulties of adults and adolescents with cochlear implants (CIs). Method Fourteen participants with CIs used the neck-loop FM receiver for a trial period and participated in pre- and posttrial sessions consisting of speech-recognition-in-noise measures with and without the FM system and a subjective rating scale. Most participants also recorded their experiences during the FM-system trial period in a journal. Results The results suggested significantly improved speech recognition in noise with the neck-loop FM system before and after the trial period, with no changes in performance between test sessions. On average, the rating scale and journals revealed improvements with the FM system, relative to the CI alone, in noisy environments or situations at a distance from the primary talker or sound source. Conclusion The results of the study suggest that neck-loop FM receivers significantly improved speech recognition in noise and everyday listening challenges of people using the CIs in 2 separate test sessions. Additional research is warranted for other types of neck-loop receivers and CI sound processors.

Measuring Cognitive Load

Cognitive load theory describes learning in terms of a processing system when all too often working memory is overloaded and learning is impeded. Measuring cognitive load is an important component of research in the area of information processing. The design, delivery, and administration of an instrument, as well as its reliability and validity are discussed as a solution to the measurement of cognitive load. A nine-point subjective rating scale ranging from very, very low (1) to very, very high (9) measures cognitive load, defined as the mental effort needed to complete a task. It is a replica of the instrument used by Paas (1992) and Paas and van Merriënboer (1994). The measurement instrument can be used both on paper and on the Web.