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You’re not you when you’re tired! A poor night’s sleep increases the risk of sending rude work emails in the morning, study finds

• Study shows tiredness is linked to ‘cyber incivility’ – rudeness in emails
• After a shorter night of sleep, employees had more self regulatory fatigue
• Examples of cyber incivility were ‘ignored a request to schedule a meeting that someone made through email’ and ‘made demeaning or derogatory remarks’

By SHIVALI BEST FOR MAILONLINE 

PUBLISHED: 08:25 EDT, 27 July 2021 | UPDATED: 08:25 EDT, 27 July 2021

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From under-eye bags to headaches, many of us suffer the side effects if we’ve not had a decent night’s sleep. 

Now, a study has revealed that a poor night’s snooze may also increase the risk of you firing off grumping work emails in the morning.   

The research shows tiredness is linked to ‘cyber incivility’ – rudeness or impoliteness in emails or text messages.

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A study has revealed that a poor night’s snooze may increase the risk of you firing off grumping work emails in the morning (stock image)

RECOMMENDED SLEEP DURATION   

– Preschool (3-5 years): 10-13 hours

– School-age (6-13 years): 9-11 hours

– Teen (14-17 years): 8-10 hours

– Young adult (18-25) 7-9 hours

– Adult (26-64): 7-9 hours

– Older adult (65 or more) 7-8 hours

Source: Sleep Foundation https://e66b19c3f98af963618e701a41f7b71e.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

In the study, researchers from West Texas A&M University worked with 131 full time working adults, who completed surveys twice a day for two weeks, measuring sleep duration, tiredness and cyber incivility.

Questionaires were sent at 7am each workday, which included how much sleep they had the night before.

At 4pm each workday, another questionnaire was sent which measured how tired they were and if they had sent off rude or impolite emails that day.

A total of 945 morning surveys and 843 afternoon surveys were completed.

Examples of cyber incivility measures were ‘ignored a request to schedule a meeting that someone made through email’ and ‘made demeaning or derogatory remarks through email’.

The study found that, after a shorter night of sleep, employees had more self regulatory fatigue and therefore engaged in higher levels of cyber incivility at work, especially if they scored low in agreeableness.

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Sleep duration was negatively associated with self-regulatory fatigue, which was positively related to cyber incivility. 

Agreeableness moderated the relationship between sleep duration and self-regulatory fatigue, as well as the indirect effect of sleep duration on cyber incivility.

Study lead author Trevor Watkins said: ‘Our findings build on previous research that suggests that self-control is restored while people sleep, to the extent that after a poor night’s sleep, people lose their self-restraint and are more likely to engage in cyber incivility at work the next day.’+2

Sleep duration was negatively associated with self-regulatory fatigue, which was positively related to cyber incivility (stock image)

The researchers said that as information technology has advanced, employees have shifted an increasing amount of their interactions with each other to electronic means such as email, discussion boards, video conferencing, and text messages.

They said: ‘This has provided many benefits, including efficient and timely communication across vast distances.

‘However, in addition to these benefits, electronic communication also presents the possibility of cyber incivility. Cyber incivility is defined as ‘communicative behaviour exhibited in computer mediated interactions that violate workplace norms of mutual respect.

‘Thus, contemporary workplaces which lean heavily on electronic communication expose employees to cyber incivility.’

Previous research has focussed on incivility in the workplace in general.How a daytime therapy device helps tackle snoring and sleep apnoeaLoaded: 0%Progress: 0%0:00PreviousPlaySkipMuteCurrent Time0:00/Duration Time2:26FullscreenNeed Text

The authors wrote: ‘Although this research was useful in making important initial steps in the incivility literature, this approach of focusing on individual differences and organisational contexts promotes the implicit assumption that workplace incivility and by extension workplace cyber incivility is determined solely by workplace phenomena.

‘We maintain employees’ ability to resist this temptation and suppress urges to engage in workplace cyber incivility should be determined in part by their ability to exert self-control. 

‘Existing research indicates that self-control is restored while people sleep, such that after short nights of sleep people suffer a lack of self-control.

‘Accordingly, we propose that sleep at home on a given night will influence cyber incivility the next day, with self-regulatory fatigue as the causal mechanism. In other words, sleep is an important causal determinant of cyber incivility that originates from outside of the work context.’

The findings are published in the journal Sleep Health.  

TOP TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP

1. Having a clean, comfortable bed that supports your body will make it easier for you to relax and wind down each night.
2. Exercise for between 20-30 minutes each day. If possible, try to plan your workout at least 5-6 hours before bed, as exercising too late into the night can impair sleep quality.
3. Increase your bright light exposure during the day, and reduce it in the evening to help regulate your circadian rhythm.
4. Avoid coffee, tea and cola drinks in the evenings, as caffeine can stay in the bloodstream for up to 8 hours. Instead, drink plenty of water. 
5. Certain supplements are beneficial for those struggling to switch off and maintain a good quality of sleep. Melatonin, magnesium and glycine are all popular choices that can improve sleep and help the body to relax.
6. Cutting down on alcohol will help. This is because it affects your melatonin production, making it difficult to fall or stay asleep.
7. Regulate the temperature of a room by keeping blinds or curtains closed during hot days to avoid the sun overheating your room.
8. Try to set your body an internal alarm clock by sticking to a strict bedtime and rise routine.
9. Avoid hot or spicy foods that can aggravate your body and interfere with your sleep quality.
10. Those suffering from insomnia should avoid an afternoon nap because if it lasts too long it could lead to a vicious cycle of not being able to sleep again the following night.

The biggest mistakes you are making with your sleep in lockdown revealed – and why you’re doing your daily routine WRONG

• Sleep expert Olivia Arezzolo revealed biggest mistakes with sleep in lockdown
• She said it’s easy to fall into bad habits when you don’t have to get up as early
• You should keep your morning routine and eating habits as much as possible
• The sleep expert also said you should set a goodnight phone alarm to switch off 

By SOPHIE HASLETT FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA 

PUBLISHED: 19:44 EDT, 28 July 2021 | UPDATED: 21:59 EDT, 28 July 2021

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A sleep expert has revealed the four biggest mistakes you’re making with your sleep in lockdown, and why you’re doing your daily routine wrong.

Olivia Arezzolo, from Sydney, said while it’s easy to fall into bad sleep habits in lockdown because you don’t need to get up as early, this can de-rail your entire day and mean you feel even more tired, downbeat and irritable than you would otherwise.

Olivia said the most important thing you can do for your sleep in these times is keep up your regular morning routine.+5

A sleep expert has revealed the four biggest mistakes you’re making with your sleep in lockdown, and why you’re doing your daily routine wrong (Olivia Arezzolo pictured)

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The sleep expert (pictured) said if you’re used to leaving at 7.30am to get to work, you shouldn’t abandon this just because there is no longer a need to commute+5

‘If you’re used to getting up at 6, going to the gym, having a coffee with your partner, kids or the yoga girls, keep it up,’ Olivia said (stock image)Sleep expert reveals simple trick for getting more sleepLoaded: 0%Progress: 0%0:00PreviousPlaySkipMuteCurrent Time0:00/Duration Time0:34FullscreenNeed Text

1. KEEP UP YOUR MORNING ROUTINE 

The sleep expert said if you’re used to leaving at 7.30am to get to work, you shouldn’t abandon this just because there is no longer a need to commute.

‘You shouldn’t be rolling from bed to breakfast to desk,’ Olivia posted on Instagram. 

‘If you’re used to getting up at 6, going to the gym, having a coffee with your partner, kids or the yoga girls, keep it up. 

‘Just modify it: train outdoors or online, and put on a jacket and have that coffee outside, while you’re walking.’ 

Olivia said doing this will ensure your melatonin levels are lower in the morning, which helps to reduce any morning fatigue.+5

The second thing Olivia (pictured) said you’re doing wrong in lockdown is going to bed later, eating later and getting up later as a result

2. SLEEP, EAT AND WAKE AT YOUR USUAL TIMES

The second thing Olivia said you’re doing wrong in lockdown is going to bed later, eating later and getting up later as a result.

‘Last lockdown, many Australians took the opportunity to sleep more,’ Olivia said.

‘The Journal of Public Health Research found that the average sleep onset was delayed by 38 minutes, while the wake time was delayed 51 minutes during lockdown.

‘This also meant that eating times were likely to be later too, breakfast, lunch and dinner included.’

While this isn’t always a bad thing with meals like breakfast, late night eating is a major sleep saboteur: 

‘A study by the University of Sydney found a high carb dinner like noodles, rice or pasta one hour before bed extended the time taken to fall asleep by 47 per cent,’ Olivia said.

This is compared to the time it would have taken if the exact same meal was eaten four hours before you go to bed.

You can combat this by keeping sleep, wake and eating times as normal, or even as early as possible.  

3. HAVE A GOODNIGHT PHONE ALARM

We all know about the importance of having an alarm first thing in the morning, but having a goodnight phone alarm is also a great idea for your night-time routine.

‘A goodnight phone alarm is an alarm that pops up on your one one hour before bed labelled sleep better,’ Olivia said.      

‘At this time, you should get off all your devices.’

Instead of browsing your phone and/or iPhone at this time, instead Olivia recommends you either meditate, journal, read, stretch or chat to your partner. 

‘Once we are motivated to actually do another activity, getting off our devices becomes easy,’ she said.+5

Olivia (pictured) said you should never bottle up your emotions when in lockdown, and if you’re freaking out about your finances or job, you must tell a friend or trusted source

4. EXPRESS YOUR DISTRESS

Finally, it doesn’t do anyone any good to bottle up their emotions.

So, if you’re freaking out about your finances in lockdown, or struggling with your job or lack of an outlet, the sleep expert said you absolutely must speak up.

‘Share your anxieties, raise your fears and express your distress,’ Olivia said.

‘Write it in your journal, tell a close friend, call your mum, reach out to LifeLine or Beyond Blue.’

Olivia added that anxiety is one of the major causes of sleeplessness, so if you’re feeling stressed about COVID-19, discussing it is not only encouraged, it’s a non-negotiable.  

‘Typically, once we voice our fears, we can move past them,’ she said.  

‘You’ll feel better and sleep better too.’  

“Atom Swapping” Could Lead to Low-Cost, Ultra-Bright, Flexible Next Generation LED Lighting and Displays

TOPICS:CrystalsLEDsUniversity Of Cambridge

By UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE JULY 27, 2021

Credit: University of Cambridge

An international group of researchers has developed a new technique that could be used to make more efficient low-cost light-emitting materials that are flexible and can be printed using ink-jet techniques.

The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge and the Technical University of Munich, found that by swapping one out of every 1,000 atoms of one material for another, they were able to triple the luminescence of a new material class of light emitters known as halide perovskites.

This ‘atom swapping’, or doping, causes the charge carriers to get stuck in a specific part of the material’s crystal structure, where they recombine and emit light. The results, reported in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, could be useful for low-cost printable and flexible LED lighting, displays for smartphones or cheap lasers.

Many everyday applications now use light-emitting devices (LEDs), such as domestic and commercial lighting, TV screens, smartphones and laptops. The main advantage of LEDs is they consume far less energy than older technologies.

Ultimately, also the entirety of our worldwide communication via the internet is driven by optical signals from very bright light sources that within optical fibers carry information at the speed of light across the globe.

The team studied a new class of semiconductors called halide perovskites in the form of nanocrystals which measure only about a ten-thousandth of the thickness of a human hair. These ‘quantum dots’ are highly luminescent materials: the first high-brilliance QLED TVs incorporating quantum dots recently came onto the market.

The Cambridge researchers, working with Daniel Congreve’s group at Harvard, who are experts in the fabrication of quantum dots, have now greatly improved the light emission from these nanocrystals. They substituted one out of every one thousand atoms with another – swapping lead for manganese ions – and found the luminescence of the quantum dots tripled.

A detailed investigation using laser spectroscopy revealed the origin of this observation. “We found that the charges collect together in the regions of the crystals that we doped,” said Sascha Feldmann from Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory, the study’s first author. “Once localized, those energetic charges can meet each other and recombine to emit light in a very efficient manner.”

“We hope this fascinating discovery: that even smallest changes to the chemical composition can greatly enhance the material properties, will pave the way to cheap and ultrabright LED displays and lasers in the near future,” said senior author Felix Deschler, who is jointly affiliated at the Cavendish and the Walter Schottky Institute at the Technical University of Munich.

In the future, the researchers hope to identify even more efficient dopants which will help make these advanced light technologies accessible to every part of the world.

Reference: “Charge Carrier Localization in Doped Perovskite Nanocrystals Enhances Radiative Recombination” by Sascha Feldmann, Mahesh K. Gangishetty, Ivona Bravić, Timo Neumann, Bo Peng, Thomas Winkler, Richard H. Friend, Bartomeu Monserrat, Daniel N. Congreve and Felix Deschler, 16 May 2021, Journal of the American Chemical Society.
DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c01567

We recommend

1. “Big Surprise” Discovery Increases Perovskite Solar Cell EfficiencyMike ONeill, SciTechDaily, 2019
2. Los Alamos Uses Quantum Dots to Successfully Amplify LightJames Kelly, SciTechDaily, 2017
3. First Glimpse of Polarons – Ephemeral Distortions – Forming in a Promising Next-Gen Energy MaterialMike O’Neill, SciTechDaily, 2021
4. Surprise Discovery Could Revolutionize Solar EnergyStaff, SciTechDaily, 2013
5. LEDs Engineered With Colloidal Quantum Dots Can Function As LasersMike ONeill, SciTechDaily, 2020

1. Recommendations From FDA-AACR Workshop to Increase African American Representation in Multiple Myeloma Clinical TrialsCardiology Advisor, 2020
2. White light-emitting diodes from perovskitesHengyang Xiang et al., Journal of Semiconductors, 2021
3. Research progress of efficient green perovskite light emitting diodesQu Zi-Han et al., Acta Physica Sinica, 2019
4. An Overview on Advances in All-inorganic Perovskite Quantum DotsWANG Ensheng et al., Materials Reports, 2019
5. Advances in improved photoluminescence properties of all inorganic perovskite nanocrystals via metal-ion dopingYu Peng et al., Acta Physica Sinica, 2020

Apple’s Machine Learning Researchers Have Developed A No-Code AI Platform Called ‘Trinity’ For Complex Spatial Datasets

By Asif Razzaq -July 23, 2021https://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=https://www.marktechpost.com/2021/07/23/apples-machine-learning-researchers-have-developed-a-no-code-ai-platform-called-trinity-for-complex-spatial-datasets/&layout=button_count&show_faces=false&width=105&action=like&colorscheme=light&height=21 Share Facebook Twitter Linkedin ReddIt

Apple’s machine learning research team has developed a no-code Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform called Trinity. This AI is designed to enable machine learning researchers and non-technical geospatial domain experts alike to experiment with different signals or datasets in order to solve problems on their own, such as complex issues that arise from the world around us every day. The ability to solve diverse problems is made possible by transforming complex Spatio-temporal datasets so that they can be consumed and solved with a standard deep learning model, like Convolutional Neural Networks. This new way of looking at data has the potential to formulate disparate problems in one standardized form for easy consumption.https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?us_privacy=1—&client=ca-pub-2880993549390304&output=html&h=280&slotname=6276643207&adk=314940830&adf=3287549828&pi=t.ma~as.6276643207&w=696&fwrn=4&fwrnh=100&lmt=1627502190&rafmt=1&tp=site_kit&psa=1&format=696×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.marktechpost.com%2F2021%2F07%2F23%2Fapples-machine-learning-researchers-have-developed-a-no-code-ai-platform-called-trinity-for-complex-spatial-datasets%2F&flash=0&fwr=0&fwrattr=true&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&wgl=1&uach=WyJtYWNPUyIsIjEwXzExXzYiLCJ4ODYiLCIiLCI5Mi4wLjQ1MTUuMTA3IixbXSxudWxsLG51bGwsbnVsbF0.&tt_state=W3siaXNzdWVyT3JpZ2luIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdHRlc3RhdGlvbi5hbmRyb2lkLmNvbSIsInN0YXRlIjo3fV0.&dt=1627502185917&bpp=11&bdt=3743&idt=4455&shv=r20210727&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3D70fccb508f1d02d9-2220a606b9c8000a%3AT%3D1624581441%3ART%3D1624581441%3AS%3DALNI_MZ-ea_S_voO1rFs2Fk6c9kC0d5yZg&prev_fmts=0x0%2C728x90%2C696x280&nras=1&correlator=7161843372447&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=424277208.1624581441&ga_sid=1627502187&ga_hid=71881232&ga_fc=0&u_tz=-420&u_his=1&u_java=0&u_h=1050&u_w=1680&u_ah=980&u_aw=1680&u_cd=24&u_nplug=3&u_nmime=4&adx=306&ady=1746&biw=1680&bih=900&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=42530672%2C20211866%2C21067496&oid=3&psts=AGkb-H_5KxvIUjnxowighj3baft8c2w60e-G6nWaQVSCyW_Fuw5xOVNv-7nhnEQIqbFKD5rG6vsQQ81gPEll&pvsid=3119663744963071&pem=952&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.google.com%2F&eae=0&fc=1920&brdim=0%2C23%2C0%2C23%2C1680%2C23%2C1680%2C980%2C1680%2C900&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7CoeEbr%7C&abl=CS&pfx=0&fu=128&bc=31&ifi=4&uci=a!4&btvi=1&fsb=1&xpc=oXWSmgs6iW&p=https%3A//www.marktechpost.com&dtd=4966

Trinity is a powerful software platform for domain experts to share the stage with scientists and engineers in solving business-critical problems. Trinity has an intuitive user interface, feature store that hosts derivatives of complex feature engineering, deep learning kernel, scalable data processing mechanism.

Trinity is a tool that can be used to make AI tools accessible for everyone. Trinity lowers the barriers of accessibility by standardizing model building and deployment, quickly prototyping in order to experiment with rapid experimentation with time-to-production lowered due its efficiency as well as showcasing sample applications which will motivate others into using this new technology.

Trinity tackles complicated data problems by bringing together disparate datasets, standardizing the process of solving these challenges and providing a code-free environment to lower barriers for entry.

The deep learning kernel is at the heart of this platform and encapsulates neural net architectures for semantic segmentation, providing models to keep up with ever changing data. The current implementation in TensorFlow can easily be swapped out for other frameworks as needed depending on user preference or availability.

Trinity is a versatile detection algorithm that has been used for many types of applications. Some examples include: driving behavior based road center-line detection, stop signs detected from heading profiles, type of roads seen with temporal embeddings and satellite imagery or other modalities like the car’s footprint on the ground etc.

Benefits for the Domain Expert

• Trinity can help domain experts to run their own experiments, something they have never been able to do before. This has the potential for great things as it will encourage more participation from these knowledgeable people in projects which need this input.
• Trinity is a zero coding platform that allows anyone to train and operate machine learning models without any coding knowledge. Users can build, iterate, deploy their model with just a few clicks.
• Trinity is a platform for executing experiments and analyzing data. It enables quick, rapid experimentation through its simple UI backed by powerful GPUs and Hadoop clusters.

Paper: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2106.11756.pdf

Source: https://machinelearning.apple.com/research/complex-spatial-datasets

ElectroCore Analyst: Nerve Stimulation Market Opportunity Is Large

byNikhil DayalJuly 27, 2021 6:03 pmLicense

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A combination of a large total addressable market, regulatory clearance, strong partnerships and effective product has Ladenburg Thalmann analysts bullish on electroCore, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECOR).

The electroCore Analyst: Jeffrey Cohen initiated coverage on electroCore with a Buy rating and $3 price target.

The electroCore Takeaways: ElectroCore engages in the commercialization of the gammaCore Sapphire device, a non-invasive vagus nerve stimulator, said Cohen.

The device is primarily aimed at treating and preventing cluster headaches and migraines, said the analyst.

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GammaCore Sapphire has also received authorizations for additional use cases for respiratory complications such as improving airflow in COVID-19 patients, he said. 

The analyst highlighted additional potential use cases in trials, including patients with PTSD, moderate traumatic brain injury or painful chronic pancreatitis.

ElectroCore owns 21 patents for gammaCore Sapphire, with additional patents pending, said Cohen.

Headache disorders are the most commonly occurring nervous system conditions affecting people across all demographics, according to the WHO.

Around 30% of people experience migraines, and nearly 4% of adults worldwide experience chronic headaches, the analyst said. 

In the U.S. alone, around 40 million people regularly experience migraine or cluster headaches, he said. 

From an economic standpoint, around $240 billion is lost annually due to headache-related worker productivity loss, said Cohen.

ECOR Price Action: electroCore was up 3.92% to $0.97 at Tuesday’s market close.

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Benzinga Pro is more than just a Newsfeed. Our newsdesk team is dedicated to bringing you exclusive breaking news.

This month, Benzinga broke back-to-back exclusive news on $WISA, and Benzinga Pro users got to see it FIRST.

After Benzinga broke news of $WISA’s launch of its SoundSend Certification Program, the stock rose $23.28%. On Thursday, it rose 41.20% after exclusive breaking news on the launch of $WISA’s Amazon storefront.

What are sound waves and how do they work?

Understanding what we hear helps us understand what is there.

BY BRIAN S. HAWKINS | PUBLISHED JUL 27, 2021 8:00 PM

• REVIEWS

Whether you’re recording or just vibin’, the science of sound can be cool. Pawel Czerwinski, UnsplashSHARE 

We live our entire lives surrounded by them. They slam into us constantly at more than 700 miles per hour, sometimes hurting, sometimes soothing. They have the power to communicate ideas, evoke fond memories, start fights, entertain an audience, scare the heck out of us, or help us fall in love. They can trigger a range of emotions and they even cause physical damage. This reads like something out of science fiction, but what we’re talking about is very much real and already part of our day-to-day lives. They’re sound waves. So, what are sound waves and how do they work?

If you’re not in the industry of audio you probably don’t think too much about the mechanics of sound. Sure, most people care about how sounds make them feel, but they aren’t as concerned with how the sound actually affects them. Understanding how sound works does have a number of practical applications, however, and you don’t have to be a physicist or engineer to explore this fascinating subject. Here’s a primer on the science of sound to help get you started.

The shape of things to come

What are sound waves? Sound waves are a type of energy that’s released when an object vibrates. Those acoustic waves travel from their source through a medium, like air or water, and when they come into contact with our eardrums, our brains translate the pressure waves into words or music, or signals we can understand. These pulses help you place where things are in your environment. We can experience sound waves in ways that are more physical, not just physiological, too. If sound waves reach a microphone, it transforms them into electronic impulses that are turned back into sound by vibrating speakers. And, at a concert, we can feel the deep bass in our chest. Opera singers can use them to shatter glass. It’s even possible to see sound waves when they’re sent through a medium like sand, which leaves behind a kind of sonic footprint. 

That shape is rolling peaks and valleys, the signature of a sine (aka sinusoid) wave. If the wave travels faster, those peaks and valleys form closer together. If it moves slower, they spread out. It’s not a poor analogy to think of them somewhat like waves in the ocean. It’s this movement that allows sound waves to do so many other things. 

Freq on a leash

When we talk about a sound wave’s speed, we’re referring to how fast these longitudinal waves move from peak to trough and back to peak. Up…and then down…and then up…and then down. The technical term is frequency, but many of us know it as pitch. We measure sound frequency in hertz (Hz), which represents cycles-per-second, with faster frequencies creating higher-pitched sounds. For instance, the A note right above Middle C on a piano is measured at 440 Hz—it travels up and down at 440 cycles per second. Middle C itself is 261.63 Hz—a lower pitch, vibrating at a slower frequency.

Understanding frequencies can be useful in many ways. You can precisely tune an instrument by analyzing the frequencies of its strings. Recording engineers use their understanding of frequency ranges to dial in equalization settings that help sculpt the sound of the music they’re mixing. Car designers work with frequencies—and materials that can block them—to help make engines quieter. And active noise-cancelling (ANC) headphones and earphones use artificial intelligence and algorithms to measure external frequencies and generate inverse waves to cancel them out, allowing them to isolate the wearer from the noise around them. The average frequency range of human hearing is 20 – 20,000 Hz.

What’s in a name? 

The hertz measurement is named for the German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, who proved the existence of electromagnetic waves. 

Getting amped

Amplitude equates to sound’s volume or intensity. Using our ocean analogy—because, hey, it works—amplitude describes the height of the waves.

We measure amplitude in decibels (dB). The dB scale is logarithmic, which means there’s a fixed ratio between measurement units. And what does that mean? Let’s say you have a dial on your guitar amp with evenly spaced steps on it numbered one through five. If the knob is following a logarithmic scale, the volume won’t increase evenly as you turn the dial from marker to marker. If the ratio is 4, let’s say, then turning the dial from the first to the second marker increases the sound by 4 dB. But going from the second to the third marker increases it by 16 dB. Turn the dial again and your amp becomes 64 dB louder. Turn it once more and you’ll blast out a blistering 256 dB—more than loud enough to rupture your eardrums. But if you’re somehow still standing, you can turn that knob one more time to increase your volume to a brain-walloping 1,024 decibels. That’s almost 10 times louder than any rock concert you’ll ever encounter, and it will definitely get you kicked out of your rehearsal space. All of which is why real amps aren’t designed that way.

Twice as nice 

We interpret a 10 dB increase in amplitude as a doubling of volume. 

Spare some change?

Timbre and envelope are two characteristics of sound waves that help determine why, say, two instruments can play the same chords but sound nothing alike. 

Timbre is determined by the unique harmonics formed by the combination of notes in a chord. The A in an A chord is only its fundamental note—you also have overtones and undertones. The way these sound together helps keep a piano from sounding like a guitar, or an angry grizzly bear from sounding like a rumbling tractor engine. 

But we also rely on envelopes, which determine how a sound’s amplitude changes over time. A cello’s note might swell slowly to its maximum volume, then hold for a bit before gently fading out again. On the other hand, a slamming door delivers a quick, sharp, loud sound that cuts off almost instantly. Envelopes comprise four parts: Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release. In fact, they’re more formally known as ADSR Envelopes. 

Attack

This is how quickly the sound achieves its maximum volume. A barking dog has a very short attack; a rising orchestra has a slower one. 

Decay

This describes how fast the sound settles into its sustained volume. When a guitar player plucks a string, the note starts off loudly but quickly settles into something quieter before fading out completely. The time it takes to hit that sustained volume is decay. 

Sustain

Sustain isn’t a measure of time, it’s a measure of amplitude, or volume. It’s how loud the plucked guitar note is after the initial attack, but before it fades out. 

Release

This is the time it takes for the note to drift off to silence. 

Speed of sound

Science fiction movies like it when spaceships explode with giant, theater-rumbling booms. However, sound needs to travel through a medium so, despite Hollywood saying otherwise, you’d never hear an explosion in the vacuum of space. 

Sound’s velocity, or the speed it travels at, differs depending on the density (and even temperature) of the medium it’s moving through—it’s faster in the air than water, for instance. Generally, sound moves at 1,127 feet per second, or 767.54 miles per hour. When jets break the sound barrier, they’re traveling faster than that. And knowing these numbers lets you estimate the distance of a lightning strike by counting the time between the flash and thunder’s boom—if you count to 10, it’s approximately 11,270 feet away, or about a quarter-mile. (Very roughly, of course.) 

A stimulating experience

Anyone can benefit from understanding the fundamentals of sound and what are sound waves. Musicians and content creators with home recording set-ups obviously need a working knowledge of frequencies and amplitude. If you host a podcast, you’ll want as many tools as possible to ensure your voice sounds clear and rich, and this can include understanding the frequencies of your voice, what microphones are best suited to them, and how to set up your room to reflect or dampen the sounds you do or do not want. Having some foundational information is also useful when doing home-improvement projects—when treating a recording workstation for instance, or just soundproofing a new enclosed deck. And who knows, maybe one day you’ll want to shatter glass. Having a better understanding of the physics of sound opens up wonderful new ways to explore and experience the world around us. Now, go out there and make some noise!

A single-molecule laser nanospectroscopy technique with micro-electron volt energy resolution

by Ingrid Fadelli , Phys.org

When molecules are excited, they can give rise to a variety of energy conversion phenomena, such as light emission and photoelectric or photochemical conversion. To unlock new energy conversion functions in organic materials, researchers should be able to understand the nature of a material’s excited state and control it.

So far, many scientists have used spectroscopy techniques based on laser light in research focusing on excited states. Nonetheless, they were unable to use laser light to examine nanoscale materials, due to its limitations in so-called diffraction. The spectroscopic measurement methods applied to electron and scanning probe microscopes that can observe substances with atomic resolutions, on the other hand, are still underdeveloped.

Researchers at RIKEN, the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), University of Tokyo and other Institutes in Japan have recently developed a laser nanospectroscopy technique that could be used to examine individual molecules. This technique, presented in a paper published in Science, could open up new possibilities for the development of various new technologies, including light-emitting diodes (LEDs), photovoltaics and photosynthetic cells.

“It is very difficult to observe substances at the atomic levels and directly investigate the properties of the excited state of the substances, which has been one of the obstacles in energy conversion research,” Hiroshi Imada, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told Phys.org. “In this research, we combine scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) with a laser spectroscopy to achieve high spatial- and energy-resolution at the same time, and with that we could unveil the nature of molecules with unprecedented precision.”

The technique developed by Imada and his colleagues utilizes laser light to drive the electromagnetic field of a localized plasmon formed in the nanoscale gap between the STM tip and the metal substrate at a well-defined frequency determined by the laser energy. The lateral dimension of the plasmon field is approximately 2nm in diameter and smaller than the minimum light spot in conventional optics by two orders of magnitude. This field serves as a nanoscale monochromatic, tunable and mobile excitation source.

“The key point in our research is that the frequency of the driven plasmon is tunable by tuning the externally irradiating laser light,” Imada said. “The plasmonic field precisely tuned to the molecular resonance turned out to be very effective to excite the single molecule under the STM observation, that allowed us to perform nanospectroscopy with micro-electron volt energy resolution.”

While the technique developed by Imada and his colleagues is based on fundamental spectroscopy methods, it could potentially open up new research opportunities in the field of nanoscience. In fact, in contrast with conventional STM spectroscopy techniques, their method does not utilize tunneling electrons and is more similar to conventional laser spectroscopy.

“We have proven that the plasmonic field can be a nanoscale laser spot with 1/100 spot size,” Imada said. “We anticipate that many kinds of laser spectroscopy can be realized with the extreme spatial resolution based on our experimental setup, just by introducing new light sources like short-pulse laser, frequency comb, synchronized two-pulses, and so on.

In the future, the technique introduced by this team of researchers could help to unlock specifically designed energy-converting functions in organic materials, by allowing scientist to tune the energy levels of molecular systems. Meanwhile, the researchers are planning to work on a time-resolved version of their technique.

“It is known that there is a trade-off between time-resolution and energy-resolution, but information about time-scale and energy-levels are both very important to correctly understand the dynamic process taking place in the excited state,” Imada said. “We plan to develop ultra-fast nanospectroscopy that is compatible with the precise nanospectroscopy developed here to revolutionize the understanding of energy conversion in molecular systems.”

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Explore furtherElectrons in quantum liquid gain energy from laser pulses

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More information: Single-molecule laser nanospectroscopy with micro-electron volt energy resolution. Science (2021). DOI: 10.1126/science.abg8790Journal information:Science

Business BQ Blue Exclusive Research Reports BQ Edge 5+ SUBSCRIBELOGIN NYC Brain Computer Startup Announces FDA Trial Before Elon Musk Sarah McBride Bookmark July 28 2021, 4:30 PM July 28 2021, 10:43 PM (Bloomberg) — A brain-computer interface company is entering clinical trials for its implants in the U.S., a big step toward getting the futuristic devices into more skulls to help treat conditi

Read more at: https://www.bloombergquint.com/markets/elon-musk-neuralink-competitor-announces-fda-trial-for-brain-device
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Signifier hypes up eXcite tongue stimulation device for sleep apnea with $35M series D

by Andrea Park | Jul 27, 2021 11:19am

When used for 20 minutes a day for at least six weeks, the FDA-approved eXciteOSA device builds up strength in the tongue muscles to keep them from collapsing during the night and blocking the airway, a common cause of sleep apnea and excessive snoring. (Signifier Medical Technologies)ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInEmailPrint

Forget counting sheep—Signifier Medical Technologies now has about 35 million other things to tally up in its mission to build devices to improve sleep-disordered breathing.

The London-based company recently closed its series D funding round, which brought in $35 million from lead investors Segulah Medical Acceleration, Angelus Venture Fund I, Pioneer Healthcare Partners and Alan Howard, the co-founder of European hedge fund platform Brevan Howard Asset Management.

Following close behind the FDA’s approval of Signifier’s flagship device to treat mild cases of sleep apnea and excessive snoring, the financing will primarily be used to support the commercialization of the eXciteOSA system.

Signifier will also fund further studies of the device to strengthen the evidence of its treatment capabilities and will continue to develop the eXciteOSA’s accompanying digital management platforms for both patients and physicians.

“We are very excited about the prospects for eXciteOSA as a revolutionary daytime therapy to treat OSA. With an estimated 25% of the global adult population suffering from sleep-disordered breathing, we believe that eXciteOSA will become the first-line therapy for these patients,” said Roger Gunnarsson, Managing Partner at Segulah Medical Acceleration.

RELATED: FDA clears electric tongue muscle strengthener to treat sleep apnea, snoring

The eXciteOSA system centers on a handheld device that is placed on the tongue for 20-minute sessions during the day. It emits low-intensity electrical impulses through four electrodes to stimulate and strengthen the tongue and pharyngeal muscles.

Building up strength in these areas in turn lowers the risk that tongue muscles will fully relax and collapse in the night. Collapsed tongue muscles can block the airway and contribute to sleep disorders including obstructive sleep apnea and excessive snoring, which have been linked to a range of other serious medical conditions, from hypertension and diabetes to stroke and depression.

Signifier’s system offers a less invasive and easier-to-use alternative to CPAP machines, which require a clunky mask to be worn all night while a loud motor pumps oxygen into the nose and mouth to keep airways open.

Users can track and control their usage of the device with a connected smartphone app. Data collected by the app are monitored remotely by each patient’s care team through a physician-specific digital portal.

RELATED: FDA dishes out Class I label to Philips’ recall of faulty CPAP machines and other ventilators

In clinical studies, when used consistently for at least six weeks, eXciteOSA was shown to reduce snoring time in 90% of patients, with 80% reporting that their snoring time had fallen at least 50%. Nearly 80% of study participants with sleep apnea saw their symptoms lessen with use of the device.

Additionally, Signifier’s studies suggest that its system integrates well into users’ daily lives, with more than 80% of users in clinical studies and real-world observation sticking to a regular therapy schedule with the device, compared to an estimated adherence rate of about 30% to 60% for CPAP users.

“The therapy has proven to be transformational in terms of its clinical efficacy and its impact on patients’ health and their quality of life. With the current challenges facing the sleep market, there could not be a better time for a viable, effective and easily accessible alternative to CPAP for mild OSA patients,” said Asim Roy, a pulmonologist and medical director of the Ohio Sleep Medicine Institute.

The 11 Best Wearable Air Conditioners for 2021

A wearable air conditioner can keep the air flowing and keep you cool during the hot summer months.BY DOUGLAS HELMJUL 27, 2021STAFF, COURTESY OF JISULIFE

Wearable air conditioners rest comfortably around your neck and provide an airflow to keep your temperature more manageable. With more extreme temperatures, these portable solutions are a unique way to beat the heat.

What to Consider

Many of these wearable air conditioners have a couple of things in common. They create airflow and they wrap around your neck. But, other features differ between models. Here are some of those features you should consider when making your decision:

Fan Type

There are two different categories for fan types: bladeless and bladed. The bladeless are typically quieter, but can be a little more expensive. The bladed options aren’t always as effective, but they’re more affordable and the fans are adjustable.

Battery Life

Depending on what you want to do with your wearable air conditioner, you’ll need to consider battery life. If you’re planning on wearing it while working outside, for instance, you’ll want to make sure the battery life will last throughout your activities.

Fan Speeds

Consider how hard you want your fans to be blowing on your neck. Many of these models come with multiple speeds, but some have more options than others.

How We Selected

If you’re looking through this list, you may have a specific reason you want a wearable air conditioner. That’s why we’ve neatly organized them into different categories to make choosing easier. We also looked through tons of online reviews from sources like BestReviews and Gadget Monthly to find the wearable air conditioners that performed best. Finally, we made sure each option had at least 4 or more stars on Amazon. So no matter which of the options you pick below, you know you’re getting a solid product. If you’re ready to get your wearable air conditioner, scroll down for our roundup!1BEST OVERALLJisulife Portable Neck Fan

JISULIFEamazon.com$45.99$31.99 (30% off)SHOP NOW

• Blade Type: Bladeless
• Fan Speeds: 3
• Battery Life: 4 to 16 hours
• Battery Type: 4000mAh rechargeable battery

The Jisulife Portable Neck Fan has just about everything you’d want from a personal air conditioner. It has a lightweight bladeless design, several speeds, good battery life, and a comfortable band for all-day use. It even comes in at an affordable price for all that it offers. 

In short, if you’re just looking for a straight-up neck fan that will give you good airflow for most activities, this one has you covered. That’s why it’s our pick for best overall.

• Lightweight and quiet
• Affordable

• Might not be ideal for working out

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• Blade Type: Bladeless
• Fan Speeds: 3
• Battery Life: 2 to 10 hours
• Battery Type: 2000mAh rechargeable battery

Coming in at second place in our list is the Diesetsr Portable Neck Fan. It offers 360-degree cooling, making sure you’re constantly getting a good amount of airflow to your face and neck. The soft band and low noise level make it comfortable to wear for long periods of time. The reason this one lands in second place is the slightly lower battery life and the higher price. That being said, it’s still a very solid option. One advantage it has over the top pick is that it does charge a bit faster.

• Comfortable
• Quiet
• Fast-charging

• A little pricey
• Lower battery life than our top pick

ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOWhttps://a1cea4030585f3d2afb6f738395ea015.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html3MOST COMFORTABLESweetful Portable Neck Fan

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• Blade Type: Bladeless
• Fan Speeds: 3
• Battery Life: 4 to 10 hours
• Battery Type: 4000mAh rechargeable battery

If long-term comfort is your biggest priority, then you’ll love the Sweetful Portable Neck Fan. This fan offers many of the features that you want out of a wearable air conditioner: decent battery life, bladeless design, quiet, and multiple speeds. 

The nice feature that the Sweetful fan offers is that it has a particularly padded neckband, making it the perfect companion for naps, long hours on the job, and general use. Thanks to the comfortable padding, you can wear this for hours on end without getting fatigued.

• Thick and comfortable band
• Quiet

• Battery life could be better

ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW4BEST BATTERY LIFENinetails Portable Neck Fan

NINETAILSamazon.com$39.99$33.99 (15% off)SHOP NOW

• Blade Type: Bladeless
• Fan Speeds: 3
• Battery Life: 5 to 20 hours
• Battery Type: 6000mAh rechargeable battery

What if you’re needing a portable neck fan that can go the distance without needing to recharge it? When you don’t always have access to power, like when you’re camping, at the beach, or working long hours, you need a fan that has a robust battery. The Ninetails Portable Neck Fan is your solution. Thanks to its extra-large battery pack, this neck fan can last up to 20 hours on the low setting. 

The silicone neckband is ideal for dealing with sweat and making you comfortable. Also, the Type-C charging means you can get it charged up and ready to go again much faster.

• Long battery life
• Comfortable neckband

• A little pricey

ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW5BEST FOR WORKING OUTVeamor Portable Neck Fan

VEAMORamazon.com$36.99$28.99 (22% off)SHOP NOW

• Blade Type: Bladeless
• Fan Speeds: 3
• Battery Life: 8 hours
• Battery Type: USB Charging

If you’re needing a wearable air conditioner that can keep up with your workouts, then the Veamor Portable Neck Fan is up to the task. This air conditioner is unique because it offers bladeless design, but with the ability to flex the band and adjust the fans. Typically, the bladeless fans aren’t flexible like this. 

The silica gel band is sweatproof and feels comfortable on the skin as you’re running, lifting, or doing any other kind of exercise. The only downside to this fan is that the battery life is a good bit less than our other options—8 hours at the lowest setting. Still, if you’re just using it for workouts, this is usually more than enough.

• Great for working out
• Fully adjustable and bladeless

• Low battery life

ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW6MOST STYLISHFrSara Portable Neck Fan

FRSARAamazon.com$36.99$23.78 (36% off)SHOP NOW

• Blade Type: Bladeless
• Fan Speeds: 3
• Battery Life: 2 to 8 hours
• Battery Type: 1800mAh Rechargeable Battery

If you’re wanting to keep cool and look cool while doing it, the FrSara Portable Neck Fan can help. With a wide variety of colors and styles, you can pick one that suits your vibe. 

Of course, they’re more than just stylish—they have some substance behind them, too. These fans are bladeless, comfortable, and slightly adjustable. Although they’re stylish, there are a couple of tradeoffs—these don’t have the longest battery life and they’re a bit expensive when compared to other options.

• Lots of style options
• Comfortable
• Slightly adjustable

• Not the longest battery life
• A bit pricey

ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOWhttps://a1cea4030585f3d2afb6f738395ea015.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html7COLDEST OPTIONTorras Coolify Portable Air Conditioner

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• Blade Type: Bladeless
• Fan Speeds: 3
• Battery Life: 8 hours
• Battery Type: 4000mAh rechargeable battery

If the added airflow from the other options isn’t cool enough for you, consider the Torras Coolify Portable Air Conditioner. This one is built with cooling technology to actually reduce the skin temperature around your neck. 

A built-in semiconductor cooling chip can reduce the skin temperature by up to 12 degrees. The Torras also comes with a robust battery life, Type-C charging, bladeless design, and three fan speeds. Of course, this special cooling technology comes at a price, as this is definitely the most expensive option.

• Fast-charging and good battery
• Bladeless
• Comfortable

• Expensive

ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW8QUIETEST OPTIONCuFun Portable Neck Fan

CUFUNamazon.com$21.99SHOP NOW

• Blade Type: Bladeless
• Fan Speeds: 3
• Battery Life: 4 to 18 hours
• Battery Type: 11.1Wh lithium-ion nattery

There’s nothing quite like falling asleep with a cool breeze on your face. Obviously, a noisy air conditioner would make this hard, but that’s not the case with the CuFun Portable Neck Fan. 

This fan is whisper-quiet, clocking in at 25db. That’s quieter than someone whispering on the other side of a room. This is also a very comfortable neck fan, making it ideal for sleeping. The quietness also makes it a good candidate for office work, without bothering or disturbing your coworkers. The battery life and price are pretty great too.

• Very quiet
• Good battery life
• Affordable

• Not as powerful as other options

ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOWhttps://a1cea4030585f3d2afb6f738395ea015.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html9BEST FOR DURABILITYMudor Portable Neck Fan

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• Blade Type: Fan
• Fan Speeds: 3
• Battery Life: 6 to 13 hours
• Battery Type: 2000mAh rechargeable battery

If you’re looking for something that can take a bit of a beating, the Mudor Portable Neck Fan just might fit the bill. First of all, it’s super affordable, with a price that can only be beat by our budget option. So if something does happen to it, it’s easy to replace. The band is also soft and super flexible. It even has LED lights for when you’re wearing them at night. In short, if you’re needing something that you’re not afraid to toss around, this is the right fan for you.

• Flexible and durable
• LED lights
• Adjustable

• Fans might cause issues with longer hair
• Battery life isn’t the best

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Start A Career In The Medical Laboratory Assistant Program At Vancouver Career College.SEE MORE10BEST BUDGET OPTIONTupwaid Portable Neck Fan

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• Blade Type: Fan
• Fan Speeds: 3
• Battery Life: 3 hours
• Battery Type: 2000mAh rechargeable battery

If you’ve never tried a wearable air conditioner and want to give it a shot for as little money as possible, try the Tupwaid Portable Neck Fan. For less than $10, you can experience the breeze on your neck. For the cost, it still has a pretty decent battery life, maxing out at 10 hours on the lowest setting. Keep in mind, this one isn’t bladeless, so if you have longer hair, it might be a bit of an issue. Of course, you can always adjust it to be farther away from your hair.

• Decent battery life
• Adjustable
• Lightweight

• Fans might cause issues with longer hair

ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW11BEST FOR KIDSIcebirds Neck Fan for Kids

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• Blade Type: Bladeless
• Fan Speeds: 3
• Battery Life: 9 to 20 hours
• Battery Type: 9000mAh Rechargeable Battery

Kids need to cool down too, and what better way than with a wearable air conditioner. The Icebirds Neck Fan for kids comes in a size that works for smaller necks and various fun designs that kids will love. Your kids will be much comfier on your summer outings to the beach, zoo, and theme parks. The bladeless design also makes sure that there are no spinning parts to cause trouble for their hair and fingers.

• Smaller size for kids
• Fun designs for kids
• Bladeless, so it’s safe
• Comfortable material

• On the pricey side
• Low battery life