Final Spring 2015 (Due Tuesday May 5th)

Color blindness is not a form of blindness, but a deficiency in the way you see color. With this vision problem, you have difficulty distinguishing certain colors, such as blue and yellow or red and green. Color blindness is an inherited condition that affects males more frequently than females. According to Prevent Blindness America, an estimated 8 percent of males and less than 1 percent of females have color vision problems. Red-green color deficiency is the most common form of color blindness. Normally, there are three kinds of cone cells, each containing a different pigment, which are activated when the pigments absorb light.

The spectral sensitivities of the cones differ; one is most sensitive to short wavelengths, one to medium wavelengths, and the third to medium-to-long wavelengths within the visible spectrum, with their peak sensitivities in the blue, green, and yellow-green regions of the spectrum, respectively. The absorption spectra of the three systems overlap, and combine to cover the visible spectrum. These receptors are often called S cones, M cones, and L cones, for short, medium, and long wavelength; but they are also often referred to as blue cones, green cones, and red cones, respectively. Much more rarely, a person may inherit a trait that reduces the ability to see blue and yellow hues. This blue-yellow color deficiency usually affects men and women equally. Most people who are considered color blind can see colors, but certain colors appear washed out and are easily confused with other colors, depending on the type of color vision deficiency they have.

The invention I will be investigating and developing is about fixing color blindness. I’m looking to invent some sort of contact lenses to help distinguish colors for those who experience color blindness. Color blindness is a genetic condition caused by a difference in how one of more of the light-sensitive cells found in the retina of the eye respond to certain colors. These cells, called cones, sense wavelengths of light, and enable the retina to distinguish between colors. The difference in sensitivity to one or more cones can make a person color blind. Color blindness affects a significant percentage of the population. There is no actual blindness but there is a deficiency of color vision. The most usual cause is a fault in the development of one or more sets of retinal cones that perceive color in light and transmit that information to the optic nerve. This type of color blindness is usually a sex-linked condition. The genes that produce photopigments are carried on the X chromosome. If some of these genes are missing or damaged, color blindness will be expressed in males with a higher probability than in females because males only have one X chromosome. So my product would probably be more popular for males.

Besides genetic makeup, other causes of color vision defects or loss include Parkinson’s disease, since Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder. Light-sensitive nerve cells in the retina where vision processing occurs may be damaged and cannot function properly. My lenses would work to counter this issue. Cataracts can cloud the eye’s natural lens that occurs with cataracts can “wash out” color vision, making it much less bright. Fortunately, cataract surgery can restore bright color vision when cloudy natural lens is removed and replaced with an artificial intraocular lens. So I would not need to address cataracts in my invention. Tiagabine for epilepsy is an antiepileptic drug known as tiagabine has been shown to reduce color vision in about 41 percent of those taking the drug, but these effects are not permanent. Therefore my lenses would not have to work with this cause, since it is just a side effect of a drug.

Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy is particularly prevalent among males. This type of inherited optic neuropathy can affect even carriers who don’t’ have other symptoms but do have a degree of color blindness. Red-green color vision defects primarily are noted with this condition. My lenses would be specifically designed to counter the red-green defects in this case. Kallman’s syndrome is an inherited condition that involves the failure of the pituitary gland, which can lead to incomplete or unusual gender-related development such as of sexual organs. Color blindness can be one symptom of this condition. My lenses would work to address an individual with this diseases’ color blindness. Depending on what colors they couldn’t see my lenses would counter this by addressing the wavelengths of each color that goes into the eyes with the lenses.

The symptoms of color blindness are difficulty distinguishing between colors, inability to see shades or tones of the same color, or rapid eye movement. Color blindness can also be produced by physical or chemical damage to the eye, the optic nerve, or parts of the brain. For example, people with achromatopsia suffer from a completely different disorder, but are nevertheless unable to see colors. Right now there isn’t any treatment for color blindness but most color-blind people are normal in other respects and can generally navigate without it. I want these people to be able to experience all of the colors that I can. I want them to have that experience and be able to appreciate all of the colors they’re not able to see now.

Right now like I stated there aren’t any certain treatments for inherited color blindness. There has been testing recently involving injecting genetic material into the eye on monkeys that has been proved to work. It hasn’t been tested on humans yet because they’re still looking to do more testing before doing so. I wonder if this strategy is too dangerous to operate on humans. Which is why I’m looking to invent contact lenses so people don’t have to go through this process.

Doing research on this I believe that I could invent filters to change the wavelength of each color that goes into the eyes with the lenses. The filters would be designed uniquely for each individual since each individual differs. There would be an evaluation and exam before the lenses were made to assess this. Since people have three photopigments in the eye, which are referred to as cones, that are sensitive to blue, green, and red, my invention would individually address these different cones. A lot of color blind people have a problem with the red-green cones overlapping, so instead of yellow, an individual doesn’t see any color. So in these cases, my lenses would absorb those lights, pushing the cones away from each other and reestablishing the normal distribution of photons on them.

Using my lenses from research I believe that my patients will be able to distinguish between more colors, but their first impression is that colors known to them before may change of look strange to them at first. The eyes’ ability of being able to adapt both rapidly and slowly changing new environments is well known. When we step into a dark or artificially lit room from bright sunlight then it’s hard to see anything at first, but after a few minutes the environment looks normal again, because the eyes adapt to the new condition. This is sort of what my patients would experience when using corrective lenses. It would take them some time to get used to the new colors. Learning is an essential part of the correction process. It will take some time to learn to see with a progressive lens. It will take them time to learn to identify colors with the corrective lenses. Color identification and the ability to name different colors is a result of learning process that usually happens at a young age. So with color vision corrective lenses, it will be like learning all over again.

Due to the tinting technology I will use, the coating procedure lenses is colored. The purpose of this is to eliminate certain lights and modify the light reaching the eyes so that the receptors receive correct information. My lenses will let through 40% of lifts, since this creates a hardly noticeable difference in brightness, since the eyes are able to compensate for brightness changes in the thousands, and be able to adopt to the circumstances. The lenses can be used in one or both of the eyes. Because one eye has a modified quality of light, the brain can use the difference in feedback it receives from each eye to identify more information about the colors present than it would normally. So the lenses will be used for both eyes, but the tints must be different colors to maintain difference in what each eye is seeing.

URL: http://www.colourblindawareness.org/colour-blindness/treatment/

URL: http://www.bausch.com/your-eye-concerns/diseases-and-disorders/color-blindness#.VThq0yG4TIU

URL: http://www.colormax.org/color-correction-system.htm

URL: http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/colordeficiency.htm

Terms: Color blindness, visual system, lenses, lights, cones, photons, cones, red-green, genetic, condition, light-sensitive, cells, retina, eye, wavelengths, deficiency, color vision, optic nerve, genes, photopigments, X-chromosome, shades, rapid eye movement, achromatopsia, filters, perceive, transmit, Parkinson’s disease, neurological disorder, light-sensitive, nerve cells, cataracts, natural, color vision, surgery, artificial, intraocular lens, tiagabine, epilepsy, antiepileptic, Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy, Kallman’s syndrome, pituitary gland, symptoms, filters, absorb, correction process, color identification, feedback, tint, S cones, M cones, L cones, short wavelengths, medium wavelengths, long wavelengths, absorption spectra, visible spectrum.

I have a very low spice tolerance. As a Vietnamese, where the food is known for its various flavours and spices, I need to ask for non-spicy alternatives. There is also a wide range of food that I am not able to eat, and Indian food is usually out of the window (Butter Chicken is usually not spicy for most people, but it is still out of my league). Milk is well-known for its ability to ease the hotness experienced in the mouth when people eat spicy food, but this is not an option for me due to my lactose intolerance.

I love food. I love eating different kinds of food. I want to be able to eat Mexican and Indian foods without the discomfort, and I want to be able to enjoy all kinds of new cuisines when I travel. Travel is a life goal for me. I have been lucky enough to do more travelling than most university students, but every time I arrive at a new country, I always have a hard time enjoying some, if not most, of the local cuisines. The inability to find pleasure in some food takes out a big chunk of joy on my travels.

So why do some people have a lower spice intolerance? Are people born with it? Or can spice tolerance be built up from eating a lot of spicy food? Spicy food triggers receptors in pain neurons (how? I will explain it later), and a theory suggests that people with higher pain tolerance are able to tolerate spicy food better. Anecdotally speaking, it may not be the most correct explanation of spice tolerance; I have friends who have very low pain tolerance and still chows down spicy food, and I have a higher tolerance than most people but spicy food is still out of my league. Another theory suggests that people who are thrill-seeking are more likely to enjoy spicy food, but this does not apply to people who grew up eating spicy food, since they are able to get used to spicy food at a younger age. Thus, it is possible to build up a tolerance for spicy food, since the brain will inhibit the pain sensation if it is constantly stimulated.

So why is spicy food spicy?

VR1 receptors are designed for thermoreception, or to detect heat. Those receptors are there to prevent us from consuming food of high heat that burns. Capasaicin is an active component of chilli peppers, which can be found in a lot of foods that we consider spicy. Unfortunately, capasaicin binds with the VR1 receptors on accident. After capasaicin binds to the receptors, the receptors release a signal indicating the presence of that stimuli. Since VR1 receptors are designed for the detection of heat, the presence of the stimuli is interpreted as hot – temperature wise. Since the component binds on accident, the “hotness” we experience in our mouths when coming into contact with spicy food is only illusionary – we feel as though it is burning our tongue, but it really is not. This is why capasaicin is an irritant for us and another mammals, as it produces sensations of burning for any tissue that comes into contact with it.

It was about eight thousand years ago when people started adding some hot chillies into their foods, and that was also around the time where people started looking for ways to cool their mouth after consumption of food containing hot chillies (why put it in there in the first place?). Cow milk soon became the favourite resolution to a spicy mouth, but some people opt to chug down glasses of water for the relief. So which way is the best way? The answer is milk. Milk contains casein, a fat loving protein that binds with capsaicin and take them away from the VR1 receptors. On the other hand, any other beverages that do not contain casein, such as water, can offer brief relief, but since capsaicin is an oil, and oil does not mix with water, it will only spread the capsaicin out rather than reducing its effect.

My product is called InCase Spray. It is a spray containing casein. The bottle is one ounce of oil based liquid, and it should be used immediately before the consumption of spicy food. Each spray will coat the mouth with a layer of casein protein, it is suggested that users spray twice before spicy food consumption: one directly on the tongue, and one in the general oral area. As capsaicin comes into contact with the mouth, the casein component form the spray will bind with the capsaicin and wash it down before it has a chance to bind to the VR1 receptors. Casein is only 80% of the protein in milk, and casein spray is made out of 95% casein protein, therefore it works a lot better than chugging down a pint of milk before eating spicy food!
It is not suggested that casein spray be sprayed onto spicy food before eating it, because it may not catch all the capsaicin; excessive spraying may also change the flavour of the food. Also, depending on the level of spiciness in food, users may be required to spray more than once. As you start to feel some spiciness on your tongue, it would be smart to spray again to add another layer of casein to deter the irritants.

InCase Strips are a side product for people who may feel embarrassed using InCase Spray in formal occasions. InCase Strips are InCase Spray, but in strips form. These strips are only paper thin, every case comes with one hundred strips, and it barely weighs anything – it even takes up less space than InCase Spray. All you need to do is slip one strip into your mouth and let it dissolve. These strips are, of course, packed with casein; as it dissolves, casein will spread outward. It is better to wait a few minutes before food consumption, since it may take a little bit for the casein to spread. Usually, the spray is preferred since it covers more area; but in occasions where spraying your mouth at the dining table may not be the best thing to do, the strips will save you from some embarrassment.

Since it only comes in one-ounce bottles, or a small case of strips, InCase is perfect for all occasions, it can even be carried with onto the plane, which will make flying Korean Air a lot more pleasurable (there are some good food that is flavoured with a lot of chilli peppers – I have a love hate relationship with Korean food). It can even help reducing the discomfort of spicy food by applying after the consumption of capsaicin. This invention will make people who are born with lower spice tolerance a lot happier in many occasion, especially people like me, with both low spice intolerance and lactose intolerance.

http://www.wired.com/2010/09/why-does-spicy-food-taste-hot/

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/mythbusters-database/cure-milk-hot-chilies/

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-06/fyi-are-people-born-tolerance-spicy-food

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsaicin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casein

https://sciencewiththat.wordpress.com/2014/03/21/do-you-like-it-hot-spicy-food-and-your-pain-tolerance/

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anthropology-in-practice/2011/12/02/why-do-some-like-it-hot/

TERMS: lactose intolerance, lactorse, spice, casein, capsaicin, VR1 receptors, pain tolerance, thermoreception, detection of heat, inhibit, stimulation, dissolves, food consumption, illusionary, protein, bind, receptors

There has been a controversial debate among parents and doctors for decades on sleeping arrangements. The term co-sleeping refers to any situation in which an adult caregiver, usually the mother, sleeps within close enough proximity to her infant so that each, the mother and infant, can respond to each other’s sensory signals and cues. Some parents believe that sleeping with the child is best for them, while other parents believe that the child should be sleeping in a crib outside of the room. Popular trends of room sharing is a form of co-sleeping, always considered safe and always considered protective. But it is not the room itself that it is protective. It is what goes on between the mother (or father) and the infant that is. Medical authorities seem to forget this fact. This form of co-sleeping is not controversial and is recommended by all. While most of this controversy is surrounded of children who are 0-6 months of age, doctors and health professionals see both sides of the debate. When done safely, mother-infant co-sleeping saves infants lives and contributes to infant and maternal health and well being. Merely having an infant sleeping in a room with a committed adult caregiver (co-sleeping) reduces the chances of an infant dying from SIDS or from an accident by one half! Since I am also a parent, I am partial to both sides of the debate. There are countless studies that have been done and studies that are continuing today. Over the past few years, nearly a million dollars of government research money has been devoted to sleep-sharing research. These studies have all been done on mothers and infants ranging from two to five months in age.

My research of interest develops around this notion of co-sleeping and sleeping assisted. I use the term “assisted” because my invention will help ease the transition of co-sleeping to crib alone; or simply bypassing the co-sleeping pattern all together. My invention is a fitted mattress pad that can be placed over an existing mattress. This mattress pad will replicate the breathing sensation of the mother or father. With the invention, the parent can program the mattress pad by a choice of breathing patterns. There will be pre-programmed patterns for a close match of the parents. If the parent feels these presets aren’t the best fit for their infant, the parent can sync their breathing pattern directly to the mattress pad. This “syncing” action can be done at time of purchase, through one of professionals at the store. Some other amenities this mattress pad would include; temperature adjustment, programmable heart beat patterns, or lullaby music. Studies and research have shown by re-creating a womb-like environment through sound and music, music therapy has been shown to deepen infant sleep-state, support infant self-regulation, assist in the stabilization of breathing and heart rates, enhance parent/infant bonding, sooth irritability, re-enforce feeding/sucking rhythms and weight gain, and promote a sense of safety during painful procedures. By integrating music in my invention, parent can use music as a therapy device. Music therapy interventions including: the use of harmonic and melodic instruments to provide a “blanket of sound”, tonal-vocal holding, songs of lullabies may provide comfort, stability, promote bonding, establish social connections and foster healing via self-regulation, as well as address the developmental, physical and emotional needs of the infants.

Not only is the breathing pattern of the mother or father important, but also the sensation of touch. When an infant is close to the parent, the infant feels a sense of security. Thermoreceptors located both in the epidermal and dermal layers of the skin inform us about changes in skin temperature. Specifically, there are two different thermoreceptors. Warmth fibers fire when the temperature of the skin surrounding the fibers rises. Cold fibers fire in response to decreases in skin temperature. Infants (0-3 months) are swaddled to maintain their body temperature. Many parents believe that co-sleeping just assures their infant they will be safe and also is good for the physiological components of their mental and physical activities in the future.

I believe this mattress pad invention could revolutionize the parent-child industry. Research shows a benefit of co-sleeping is infants virtually never startle during sleep and rarely cry during the night, compared to solo sleepers who startle repeatedly throughout the night and spend 4 times the number of minutes crying. Startling and crying releases adrenaline, which increases heart rate and blood pressure, interferes with restful sleep and could lead to long-term sleep anxiety. Studies also show that infants who sleep near to parents have more stable temperatures, regular heart rhythms, and fewer long pauses in breathing compared to babies who sleep alone. This means babies sleeps physiologically safer. With my invention, the sleep patterns of the infant would be replicated, thus not causing any physiological or long-term sleep deficiencies or long term sleep anxiety.

There are numerous articles stating the reasons why you shouldn’t co-sleep with your infant. Most of these articles depict the “accident” factor. Researchers at the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission reviewed death certificates from 1990 through 1997 and found 515 deaths of children under two years who were placed to sleep on adult beds. Of these deaths, 121 were reported to be due to overlying of the child by the parent, other adult, or sibling sleeping in the bed with the child. 394 deaths were due to entrapment in the bed structure, such as wedging of the child between the mattress and side rail or wall, suffocation in waterbeds, or head entrapment in bed railings. Most of these deaths occurred in infants under the age of three months. My invention would stop the thought of the possible “accidents” that could arise if the parent was co-sleeping with their infant. There are many products on the market currently that try to “push” parents into room-sharing. Room-sharing is placing the infant in the same room as the parent by either using a separate crib (still in the same room) or an Arm’s Reach sleeper. The Arm’s Reach® Co-sleeper® bassinet, a crib-like infant bed that attaches securely and safely right next to the parent’s bed. With this nighttime nurturing device, parents have their own sleeping space, baby has his or her own sleeping space, and baby and parents are in close touching and nursing distance to one another. My invention could be used with this device because the parent would be simply sliding this mattress pad over another mattress whether it’s in the same room, next to the parent’s bed or in another room.

This invention, as mentioned earlier, would be a transitional device. Almost all parents are concerned about SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), SIDS most often occurs when the child is sleeping in another room and the child has shifted positions from his back to his stomach. My invention would help maintain the posture of the infant by allowing him/her to remain on their back. The firm construction of the mattress pad will ensure parents against the thought of SIDS occurring because of the type of material the infant is sleeping on. As regards bed-sharing (co-sleeping), an expanded version of its function and effects on the infant’s biology helps us to understand not only why the bed-sharing debate refuses to go away, but why the overwhelming majority of parents in the United States (over 50% according to the most recent national survey) now sleep in bed for part or all of the night with their babies. Another aspect to consider, sleep training and self-soothing; this invention ties directly with sleep training as well as self-soothing. The infant is will learn through his/her sleep patterns that their sleep arrangement provides them with security and comfort. It is important for infants to learn to self-soothe, but at the same time the parent still has to ensure that their infant is safe.

In conclusion, my invention of a mattress pad that has built in breathing patterns, heart beat, and music lullaby’s will ensure parents that their decision to not co-sleep will be supported. This invention is not meant to replace skin-to-skin contact or interrupt breast feeding schedules. This invention is merely a transitional tool for parents to use with their children whom have agitated sleeping patterns. Studies have shown that infants respond well physiologically and biologically to their parents breathing and heartbeat patterns.

References:
http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/health-concerns/sleep-problems/faqs-about-sleep-problems/safe-co-sleeping-research I chose this website for information on the debate, the long term benefits of co-sleeping and the statistics of death.

http://neuroanthropology.net/2008/12/21/cosleeping-and-biological-imperatives-why-human-babies-do-not-and-should-not-sleep-alone/ I chose this website because of the information given about resent studies.

http://scienceofmom.com/2012/03/09/infant-sleep-research-cosleeping-self-soothing-and-sleep-training/ I chose this website because of the information on sleep training and self-soothing.

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2013/04/10/peds.2012-1367.full.pdf I chose this website because of the information in regards to music therapy.

TERMS: co-sleeping, sensory signals, cues, room-sharing, SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), thermoreceptors, warmth fibers, cold fibers, temperature, adrenaline, blood pressure, oxygenation, saturation, sensation, perception, heart rate, rhythms, harmony, melody, tonal-vocal holding, physiologically, biologically, patterns,

Imagine not having the ability to smell. What would you do? Would you seek help? Would you accept the options given to help you? Are there any other options? My goal is to invent an ointment that you rub on your nose that gives you the ability to smell again. Anosmia is the total inability to smell, most often resulting from sinus illness or head trauma. A person's sense of smell is driven by certain processes. First, a molecule released from a substance has to stimulate olfactory cells that are found higher up in the nose. These nerve cells then send information to the brain where the specific smell is identified. The ointment that I invent will have special particles in it that absorb into the skin around the nose and then set in the nose leaving the ability to smell all of the different scents. This ointment will stimulate these olfactory cells causing the sense of smell to return. Once the ointment absorbed in the skin reaches the brain, the nostrils will have instant relief and have the ability to smell again. Anything that interferes with these processes lead to loss of smell which is where the ointment will come in. The ability to smell also affects our ability to taste. Without the sense of smell, our taste buds can only detect a few flavors, and this can affect one’s quality of life but I will get more into this concept a little later on. The ability to sense things and perceive things is a gift many people take advantage of. If something bad were to happen to you, wouldn’t you want to hear about all of your options to make your way back to normal?

Like I just said, anosmia is the total loss of smell. The obvious symptom of anosmia is a loss of smell or when familiar odors begin to lack that familiar smell. Anosmia can be caused by temporary or permanent irritation, or destruction of the mucous membranes lining the inside of your nose. There are different causes of anosmia and according to WebMD; the causes that they believe to be true are nasal polyps -- small noncancerous growths in the nose and sinuses that block the nasal passage. Injury to the nose and smell nerves from surgery or head trauma. Exposure to toxic chemicals, such as pesticides or solvents, certain medications, including antibiotics, antidepressants, anti-inflammatory medication, heart medications, and others, cocaine abuse, old age. Like vision and hearing, your sense of smell can become weaker as you age. In fact, one's sense of smell is most keen between the ages of 30 and 60 and begins to decline after age 60. And also, certain medical conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, nutritional deficiencies, congenital conditions, and hormonal disturbances, and radiation treatment of head and neck cancers.

There is also a concept of specific anosmia that can also be helped by the invention of this ointment. Specific anosmia is when individuals have lost the ability or never actually had the ability to smell certain scents. The difference between anosmia and specific anosmia is that anosmia is the total inability to smell while specific anosmia is only the partial inability to smell certain scents. It is a little more difficult to diagnose a person with specific anosmia because it is only certain scents that the individual is able to smell therefore making it harder to detect the scent and the severity of it. This ointment could help accentuate the smells and improve the overall well-being of the individual.

Your olfactory system, which provides your sense of smell, consists of receptors in the mucous lining of your nose that sends information through nerves into your brain. You can lose your sense of smell if any part of the olfactory pathway is damaged or destroyed. This can happen as a result of many things such as old age, Alzheimer’s disease, brain surgery, diabetes, etc. Whether or not anosmia can be cured depends on the underlying cause. People who have a more severe case of anosmia such as congenital anosmia have a lifelong inability to smell and they really have no concept of what smell is. Congenital anosmia occurs when one is born without a sense of smell because of a genetic condition or faulty gene. An estimated 6,000 people in the UK are born with this condition. There is no known cure for this kind of anosmia, however, other types of anosmia may be improved to some point or cured if the condition is treated. Because there is no known cure, inventing an ointment to bring back the sensation of smell would be a very sought after product. Also, because there are different levels of this condition, there will be different ointments of different intensities. If an individual has a mild case of anosmia there is no sense in giving them a stronger solution when they can have a more mild ointment. For those individuals who have specific anosmia, there would be a specific ointment for their condition.

The sense of smell is often considered the most dispensable of the sense. However, the loss of olfaction also has several very negative consequences. Safety comes first and many people do not realize or take time to think about the dangers involved with a condition such as anosmia. One with anosmia does not have the ability to smell fire, gas, poison, or anything that could affect their well-being. Losing your sense of smell can be very depressing and isolating. It means missing out on many experiences most of us take for granted, such as smelling fresh flowers, perfume or the scent of a loved one. To ensure that you are living a healthy and safe lifestyle, it is recommended to keep up with smoke alarms in all rooms of your house, change from natural gas to electric gas and carefully read labels on all food products and any warning labels on all other products that you come in contact with. Smell also plays an important role in how you taste things. This is due to the fact the systems of smell and taste is very much intertwined. The scent of food greatly contributes to the multidimensional, often difficult to describe, experience of tasting food. When the scent of food is out of the picture, one is reduced to the basic tastes of salty, sweet, bitter, spicy, and savory. Therefore, when someone loses their sense of smell, they can become disinterested in food. This may lead to malnutrition. Many people with anosmia lose interest in food, because 80% of the flavor of food comes from its smell. I know that when I smell delicious food it makes me hungry and want to eat it. Without the ability to smell, this affect does not occur resulting in not wanting the food. The individuals who do not have the ability to smell report feelings of emptiness in their interactions with those surrounded by them. Inventing an ointment that prevents accidents and further problems like these from happening is the start of life changing opportunities to our clients. Fixing a condition such as anosmia and specific anosmia also lessens the chances of any of these tragedies to happen.

Along with curing anosmia, I would like this ointment to help with the concept of binaral rivalry. Binaral rivalry is when the nose encounters two different scents simultaneously; then the brain processes them separately through each nostril in an alternating fashion. When an individual has lost the ability to smell for a long period of time, it would be a shocking experience to the nostrils to gain the ability to smell again. The rivalry actually occurs in both the nose and the brain. Some of our sensory organs come in two pairs such as our eyes, our ears, and our nostrils. Typically each side has differences. It is our brain’s job to generate stable representations for each of our organs. The nose is not only getting used to the ability to smell again, it is also getting used to using the nostrils for a purpose again. What many people do not realize is the difference between breathing and sniffing. Although both of these concepts involve air traveling through the nose, there is quite a difference. When an individual breathes, this individual is breathing in air containing odorant molecules and then detecting those molecules. However, when a person is sniffing, they are consciously and forcibly inhaling bursts of air into the nostrils, and sniffing increase the ability to detect odorants. Missing out on the ability to smell and sniff is not a way somebody should live if there are cures out there which is exactly why this ointment is being introduced.

Although there is a lot more research that needs to happen with inventing a new ointment, you can see the potential this creation has. Inventing an ointment to rub on the nose of an individual with anosmia or specific anosmia will be a great contribution to their lives. This is a simple idea with magnificent positive magnitudes. You will not be disappointed with the results. I believe a trial run would be necessary to see how people react to the change. Further research will help prove the success of this invention; you just have to give it a chance.

Terms: Sensation, perception, anosmia, congenital anosmia, side effect, nutrition, genetic condition, faulty gene, olfactory pathways, Alzheimer’s disease, mucous membranes, five senses, molecule, binaral rivalry, specific anosmia, conscious, unconscious, sense, perceive, sensory organs, odorant molecules, malnutrition, stimulation, genetic, gene, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis.

http://www.webmd.com/brain/anosmia-loss-of-smell
http://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/loss-of-smell/basics/definition/sym-20050804 http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/anosmia/Pages/Introduction.aspx
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2901510/
http://zhouw.psych.ac.cn/Zhou.Chen.CurrBiol.2009.pdf

My invention is used to help those who are deaf. Although usually all there other senses work just fine they still get discriminated against about driving. This new invention will give people who are deaf more safety for themselves and others while they are driving. This new invention is to have a steering wheel vibrate to help warn them to watch out for something while they are driving.
There are about 30 million Americans who are affected by a hearing impairment. Not every one of those cases means that they are deaf, there are different varieties of the sound threshold. It all kind of depends on frequencies and when they are audible to be heard.
If there is any damage done to the auditory process areas then a person can start having some hearing issues. These areas would include the outer ear to the auditory cortex. A person can become deaf or partially deaf when there is damage in the ear canal. This makes it so that sound waves are not able to put pressure on the tympanic membrane. Not everyone is born deaf. It can happen with heredity or with damage done to it.
While people are driving they can use relative metrical depth cue which helps know the distance of two things. Sometimes some things will not be seen. These things could be in a blind spot or simply just not noticed. This leads to the invention of having the steering wheel vibrate.
While driving people who are able to hear kind of have the upper hand. There are able to hear sirens, people yelling outside of the car, other cars honking, and much more. Inside of some newer cars there is a beeping to give them warnings if there vehicles are getting to close to another object or if they need to put there seat belt on. Someone who is deaf completely will not be able to hear that. The question was, how do we compensate for that?
To compensate it is actually very simple. Just replacing the beeping with the vibrations in the steering wheel. This will help them know that there is something that they need to look out for. The more serious that it is the quicker the vibrations must be. An example of that would be if the car in very close to another object there should be quick vibrations. One concern of mine with this was to make sure that the vibrations aren’t so strong that they will cause problems with holding the steering wheel or make it difficult for them to drive.
There are a variety of different things that the vibrations would take place of. The vehicle would be able to comprehend police sirens or ambulance sirens and would make quick or strong vibrations to help warn them that there is something serious to watch out for. When the car would either beep or ding for something like not wearing a seatbelt or getting low on gas then it would have a low or not very strong vibration to warn the driver.
If you are not deaf you could ask yourself a few questions to decide whether or not you would find this useful. First, do you always notice police or ambulance lights in your mirrors or do you hear the sirens? Personally I hear the sirens first and know to move over. Another question is, do you sometimes forget to put your seatbelt on but when you hear the beeping or dinging do you remember? Lastly, is it useful when you’re backing up and the car beeping or dings when you’re getting really close to either a car or object behind it?
Two of the reasons that people are concerned with those who are deaf driving would be solved with this new invention. They would still would not be able to hear the police sirens or the ambulance sirens, but their car could warn them. They would not be able to hear the beeping or dinging when their car is trying to make them aware of something, but they could be made aware in a new way.
My best friend actually has deaf parents, a deaf grandma, and deaf cousins so I had her help me try this. Her mother is partially deaf and her father is completely deaf. First I took pieces that were to a massage chair that vibrates and put them on the steering wheel. I had it hooked up in the car and my friend had control over the remote. I told her that every time the vehicle would get really close to another vehicle to turn the vibrations onto high or medium, depending on what her parents were comfortable with. If the vehicle was not that close to another object, then have it turned on low just to warn them. I had her to this with her parents driving separately.
First, she went with her mother driving, who is only partially deaf. There were a few times where her mother backed up really close to another vehicle which she turned it to medium because that is what her mother found to be comfortable. When gas started to get a little low my friend turned the vibrations low for only a few seconds to her mother would know to look out for something that was needed.
Next, I had her drive with just her father who is fully deaf. First, he actually put his seatbelt on so she warned him with the low vibrations. She had him back up in a few parking lots and when he wasn’t as close to a vehicle she would turn on the low vibrations and when he was fairly close to a vehicle she would turn the vibrations to a medium.
After testing this out with her parents I asked her to ask them a few questions. I was curious about how they felt driving. They both agreed that they felt very comfortable driving and all the years that they have been driving they have not really had any issues. I then wanted to know what they had thought about my invention. Her parents both think that it is very useful, and think that it would especially be useful in a place that is busy, where there are a lot more accidents and other vehicles on the road. They live in a small town so they do not really have any issues with driving when there are sirens or backing up where other vehicles will be. Then, I asked them specifically what kinds of issues that they have had while driving, and they have had issues realizing that there was either an ambulance or police because they could not hear the sirens. Overall they loved this invention and liked using it.
Deaf people should be allowed to drive without any discrimination because it is mostly visual. Currently there is a light panel or panoramic mirrors to have in the vehicles for those who are deaf. Those things are to help them more and to notice things such as emergency vehicles but there is still a chance that they will not see it. Here in the United States deaf people are allowed to drive and in only some states are they required to have it shown on their driver’s license that they are deaf. There are twenty six other countries that they are actually not even allowed to try to obtain a driver’s license. Although in the United States they are allowed to drive they have still been discriminated.
In review, this invention will help those who are deaf to become more aware and prepared while driving. They are not able to hear so they should be able to use another sense to help them. The invention is using vibrations in the place of dinging or beeping. The vibrations would happen when there are police or ambulance sirens, the gas is low, for not wearing a seatbelt, or when the vehicle is getting to close to another object. This will help those drivers be in a more safe situation and help others around them be safe.
Terms: relative metrical depth cue, distance, hearing impairment, deaf, hearing, sound threshold, frequency, audible, ear canal, sound waves, tympanic membrane, auditory process, outer ear, auditory cortex, blind spot, vibration, light, visual, sense.
http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/topics/driving_and_the_deaf.htm
I thought this website was useful because it was about why people are concerned with deaf people driving and reasons as to why they should be able to drive.
http://hubpages.com/hub/Deaf-People-Drive
This website was useful because it discussed the right to drive and safety. It also included where people are and are not able to have a license.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/soundandfury/culture/living.html
This website was useful because it discussed the different things that deaf people are not able to hear and how they compensate for that.

I once walked into my friend’s house for a party, and I immediately noticed it was so quiet. Too quiet. Especially for a Friday night. Why can’t I hear anything? So I go down the hall and as I descend the stairs, I can hear the bass coming through the walls and the floor.

The concept of sound is something we rarely consider. It’s a peculiar concept that vibrations can move through the air, bouncing off of people and walls, moving through floors and other surfaces. As I move through the house, I can hear the stereo through the cement foundation layers in the basement. As I approach the area the stereo is located, I can I am getting closer because the sound is louder. We recognize this effect as a combination of sound localization cues known as interaural time difference (ITD) and interaural level difference (ILD). Although sound can move through surfaces, the degree of vibration is dramatically decreased by solid objects. This is why we couldn’t hear the music when we first entered the house; there were too many solid surfaces between the stereo and the front door.

For one of the online assignments, I watched a Ted talk called “How I use sonar to navigate the world”. This Ted talk, presented by Daniel Kish, offered insight into his perception as a blind man. He sees by using echolocation, which are clicks created by his tongue that bounce off of surfaces. Over time, his hearing has acutely adapted to recognize tiny differences in the clicks that return to him as representing distance and spatial orientation of the object they reflected off of. He claims his ability is the product of a lifetime spent using his brain in a different way than sighted people. His parents raised him to be independent and figure out how to see despite his blindness. Because he uses sound to see, Daniel recognizes that he has a sort of x-ray vision which sighted people do not. Sound can come through the floor, through walls, and around corners. Thus, he can see through the floor, through walls, and around corners. As Daniel’s presentation shows, there is a lot about life that we can infer from the sounds we hear.

My inspiration for a product or service which provides an opportunity for research related to sensation and perception began with my lifelong passion for music and our society’s habitual need for convenience. First, I sought to create a single interface that could connect with multiple audio platforms on a mobile device and integrate some other features and information. Having synthesized all of this information, the app could then DJ-style rotate between various platforms.

The idea is that these platforms, which could include Music, Pandora, YouTube, Spotify, and any other audio platform on the device, already house data on the user's music preferences. YouTube history provides recent searches, Pandora allows a purpose-driven randomized mix, and music on the device represents long-term music taste. These data serve as the basis for the app: to create randomized playlists that are a little more customized than a standard Pandora station or a free version of Spotify could offer.

At this stage of the invention, there is one main advantage, easily applied in two different scenarios for the average college student. The main advantage is that the user can avoid spending time creating playlists to serve a given function. The idea behind this being the random playlists generated are skewed to the specific tastes of the user as well as the specified function.

In the study scenario, the app could randomly create mixes that will most likely suit my taste, saving me time. This would be a huge advantage for me personally, because when I hear music I don’t like, I’ll get on my phone to change it, and the next thing I know I’m distracted and on Facebook. I’m sure a lot of students can relate to this. By having the app take personal preferences into account, there is a lower chance of becoming distracted in this scenario. For the party scenario, imagine we’re back at the house we considered in the beginning. For a large party, we don’t necessarily want to focus on making a good playlist; you just want a good mix automatically. Of course we can imagine many other scenarios where the app could be useful.

Thus far, the science relevant to this product largely comes from the text. Almost all sounds in daily life are harmonic sounds. Very simply, this means they are a collection of sound waves, otherwise known as pure tones. The sound we hear most from the collection is the primary frequency. Having a music background provides an advantageous foundation for sound perception. Like simple chord progressions, the primary frequency, or the fundamental frequency, is the root note. To make the progression more interesting, we add the integral chord. The other notes of the chord represent the second, third and fourth harmonics present in the harmonic sound collection. These sounds are frequency multiples above the fundamental frequency, and together they represent a single chord. We can perceive the harmonic sound even when the fundamental frequency is not present. This occurs because the energy waves which form the harmonic integrate the same energy wave as the frequency wave. There are specialized neurons in the auditory nerve and cochlear nerve which are stimulated by very specific energy waves. When second or third harmonics pass through the auditory system, the energy waves stimulate these neurons, as well as the ones for the second, third and fourth harmonics.

There are many sounds in daily life which are a combination of chords. Another characteristic sound which accounts for the differences in sound we hear is timbre. Timbre refers to the quality of sound created by the relative energy of component harmonics. For example, we can play the same chord on piano and guitar, but we recognize the two still sound different because of how each instrument produces sound. This difference in quality of sound is known as timbre.

Perception of different frequency sounds is a complex process which relies on the anatomy of the ear to filter and amplify sound, transduce mechanical energy into electrical energy, which then passes to the cortex where it can be processed. This process, known as mechanoelectrical transduction (MET), is not a part of our conscious awareness. It is also so fast that we understand sound almost immediately after hearing it. This makes hearing much faster and sensitive than vision because it utilizes MET rather than biochemical processes.

Although we may understand sound instantaneously, sound processing in the brain doesn’t stop there. Sound information is then passed to other areas of the brain so that we can recognize, react, and make inferences about the sounds we hear. My particular interest here is how sound is perceived, and the subsequent recognition, reaction and inferential processes.

In music, a chord incorporates three notes: the root, which we perceive as the fundamental frequency, the fifth, which is seven semitones above the fundamental, and the third. A major third is four semitones above the fundamental, a minor third is three semitones above the fundamental. The difference in the two can be used to convey emotion, where major is typically associated with positive affect and minor with negative affect. Thus, musicians can evoke emotion by specific choices in their compositions. Interestingly, the sensory difference between the two is only a single semitone, yet the cognitive experience is completely opposite. Aside from the emotive differences of major and minor chords, it seems that these two are emotionally processed in a significantly different way (Pallesen et al. 2005).

Let's take this idea one step further.

If we imagine we have this interface on a phone, let’s imagine it as an app. It would be pretty cool if the app or the phone had a mechanism for evaluating the larger environment. If it could do this, it would closely imitate Daniel’s echolocation, or as he calls it, flash sonar. Taking things like size of the room, activity level measured by background noise volume, degree of movement of the phone itself, the app could make inferences about what kind of place the user is in. It could make assumptions about the user’s mood or emotional experience based on the type of environment it recognizes.

Now is a good time to note that many studies in psychology regarding mood or emotion take the trouble to distinguish these two terms (Garrido Review). It seems that in the field of psychology, a generally accepted academic definition of emotion is a short-lived feeling response that is acutely provoked by a single event. Moods are typically less dramatic, lingering over a period of time and not usually related to a particular cause. This distinction is important in psychology, but it’s not critically relevant to my research. For example, in the library we are usually calm and focused, and might desire reflective music; at a party we are excited and upbeat, our music tastes will reflect this. These feelings more closely represent moods, not acute emotional responses. If the app is capable of evaluating a broad environment such as a library or a dance floor, it is likely these will more directly impact mood than emotion.

Thus, my research begun with a research question: Wouldn’t it be rad if my phone could sense the type of environment, subsequently estimate or anticipate my mood, the mood of others in the environment, incorporate certain extra-musical factors, and use these to choose music accordingly?

The short answer: Yes, it would be rad.

I can start by explaining my question. We know that music affects emotion (Vuoskoski and Eerola 2015). Sandra Garrido’s systematic review of studies measuring mood and emotion tease the statistical differences in impact of music on mood and emotion. A single study that was reviewed showed music to improve mood by providing an opportunity for reflection, solace, or catharsis of negative affect (Garrido and Schubert 2011).

We also happen to know that music inspires narrative and can generate visual imagery via this inspired narrative (Vuoskoski and Eerola 2015). It does this by looking at the relationship between chords in the melody. The idea is to see how many minor and major chords are present in the melody, and how the progression produces a story. By the way, the tendency for creating narration as well as relating it to music is sincerely human. The way music is perceived depends not only on the psychophysics of sound, but also the unique combination of emotions created by a melody and the contextual environment in which music almost always exists. Outside of a sound laboratory, we do not often listen to music in a vacuum. We always have information about it, cognitive processes regarding the music itself. For example, we expect to hear a certain type of music at a party, and other types of music in other environments. Without giving it much thought, we have lots of expectations about the music we hear. We also know there is a social and cultural meaning associated with music (Bakker and Martin 2014). We will refer to these collectively as extra musical factors.

In summary, there are three crucial factors present in music perception: contextual factors, such as environment, social and cultural; the implied mood given that environment, and the resultant emotion or mood of the music. If the app could evaluate environmental, social and cultural cues present, it could make inferences about the user’s mood, the basis for which is deeply rooted in recent psychological research. Given the individual preferences represented by the user’s other audio inputs, the app can randomly choose songs to correlate with the user’s expected mood.

Terms:
Psychophysics of sound, Sound localization cues, Interaural time difference (ITD), Interaural level difference (ILD), echolocation, spatial orientation, harmonic sounds, primary frequency or fundamental frequency, second harmonic (third, fourth harmonic), frequency multiples, auditory nerve, cochlear nerve, specific energy, timbre, mechanoelectrical transduction (MET), mood, emotion, emotional response, positive/negative affect, extra-musical factors, environmental factors, social and cultural cues, narrative, visual imagery, major chord, minor chord, semitone, emotional cognitive processing,

Sources:
Sandra Garrido 2015. Psychomusicology: Music, Mind, and Brain
A systematic review of the studies measuring mood and emotion in response to music
http://psycnet.apa.org/psycarticles/2015-14740-001.pdf

Jonna K. Vuoskoski and Tuomas Eerola 2015. Extramusical information contributes to emotions induced by music
http://pom.sagepub.com/content/43/2/262.full.pdf+html

Daniel Kish: How I use sonar to navigate the world
http://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_kish_how_i_use_sonar_to_navigate_the_world

David Radford Bakker and Frances Heritage Martin 2014. Musical chords and emotion: Major and minor triads are processed for emotion
http://ejournals.ebsco.com/Direct.asp?AccessToken=46KY6Y58KBP2C6155YT99KJCPJ9585TKPK&Show=Object

The Suit : Sensory Substitution

There is a lot going on around us all the time, but yet we only see a small percentage. It is not that we are not looking, it is just our sensations the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin have limitations. Take for example our light spectrum and the range of sound that we can hear, we can only perceive a piece of the world. There is a vast amount of information out there and we only perceive less than a 10 trillionth. But there are certain ways for us to change our limitations so we could see more of what’s really out there. Neuroscience and technology working together can deliver new senses that could open us to a whole new world.

Our brain is a complex machine that has the ability to take in information and interpret it in a way that we can understand. All the data no matter visual, auditory, olfactory, or tactile, is sent to the brain through electrochemical signals. The brain receives these signals to develop patterns by assigning meaning to these signals. The meaning of these signals is then put forth in front of you to show you your perceptual existence of the world.

The deaf and the blind have external senses that do not function correctly. Retinal or cochlear implants have been developed to take in audio or visual data and send signals to the brain that it can read. By designing and developing these devices we have replaced our natural senses. Retinal and cochlear implants require an invasive surgical connection to the brain, but there are less threatening ways to replace our senses. In addition, these implants and procedures are very expensive and not cost effective.

Our product is a less threatening more cost effective way to replace our senses, offering sensory substitution for the deaf. This lab based design has a suit like appearance providing an ability to turn sound into a vibration that the wearer would physically feel. Through a vigorous training period, a deaf person can listen to words and perceive them to have meaning. These words provided via vibrations are interpreted by the brain even though these words don’t go through the ear to the brain. This peripheral device is a new way our brain can go on to obtain information to develop data.

Operational functions begin by taking sound from the environment via smartphone or tablet. The cell phone delivers an audio signal that is processed. Then the sound from the world is transferred and condensed into complex vibrational patterns on the skin. The brain receives the informational data from your core body for interpretation. It then sends electrochemical signals to the brain through different channels. Communicational sound is achieved through the sense of olfaction.

An elaborate algorithm has been implemented to develop translational audio so it can be understood using skin vibration. We have improved the layout efficiency of the vibration motors on the suit using more complex algorithms to spatially insert where the vibrational patterns will come from. Through magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging, these types of brain images have provided insight to the understanding of brain mechanisms. Through training, audio interpretation is effectively adjusted for at an ideal pace of fourteen to twenty-one days. Our potential to progress further with more complex speech and sounds will be achieved through adjustments and changes in our high quality algorithms. This suit provides real time audio processing and is also portable.

As potential investors and scientists interested in contributing to the production of our suits that fight hearing loss and open doors for much more, realize how important your contributions to this project will be. Through technology and neuroscience we can expand our ideas to pursue the idea of enhancing our window of reality and what we can see. Successful deployment and achievement of our sensory substitution project will open doors to expand the sensory world. In addition to our suits, we can then follow with adding other data streams into the suits. Our ideas can go on to further develop successes in medicine, extending human life while also increasing the quality of human life. Moral, ethical, and legal issues will arise but those uncontrollables can be accounted for when we get further down the road. Join us in our journey in pursuit of making the world more enhanced so we can take the next step in extending human life by solving problems for the future to come.

Terms : cochlea, frequency, hearing loss, brain imaging, brain image, olfaction, vibration, magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, image, retina, visual, olfactory, auditory, tactile, neuroscience, electrochemical, sensory substitution, sensation, perception

Sources Used:
https://www.foresight.org/policy/brief2.html
http://www.eagleman.com/research/sensory-substitution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_substitution
http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/sensory-substitution-vest-help-deaf-people-hear-skin/

I choose to use existing technology to develop a service. This service would combine the technology of anechoic chambers and the utilization of white noise and other colors of sound. While anechoic chambers already exist, they are not readily available to the public. The name of my business would be Quiescence. This means at rest or without movement. Often times while studying individuals find it difficult to find a place that is silent enough for optimal concentration. On the other hand, some individuals who enter anechoic chambers find them “too silent” and suffer hallucinations and discomfort. By utilizing the colors of noise as a sort of mediator, I would provide rooms that were built like an anechoic chamber with the extra feature of being able to modify the type of noise being fed through speakers into the room. I would offer a variety of rooms including study rooms, and nap rooms.
My main target audience would be college campuses where I could add rooms to their library, or build separate buildings with these chambers available. I think it could be extended into the general public, and possibly into spas as a type of therapeutic escape from the general noise of everyday life. I choose to provide this service because it is something I face myself, and utilize noise-blocking frequencies in my daily life. I think a lot of college students, even with quite hours, often find it difficult to find a place that is quite enough to study, or simply to take a nap in the middle of the day. I also think it would be a good service if placed in cities where people are surrounded by noise almost all day. These chambers could be a place to go on lunch breaks or after work, as an escape from the daily grind.
To understand how the chambers and noise worked I did some research as well as found some concepts represented in the book.
To begin with one must understand what sound is. Sound is essentially vibrations of objects and molecules in the environment that cause pressure changes that can be described as waves. Depending on the density of the object that he sound waves must pass through, the speed of sound waves vary. The higher the density, the more trouble sound has of passing. The rate of pressure is called frequency. This is where you get the visual up and down pattern of a sound wave. The frequency of a sound wave is measured in hertz (Hz).
Unlike light, sound can travel through most everything in homes and buildings. Typically homes are somewhat soundproofed through the construction of the walls, and through aesthetic choices such as flooring selection and drapes. Construction wise, there is typically a gap between the outside walls and the inner walls, which may be filled with some sort of insolation as well. As sound waves pass through the first wall they come into contact with particles in the air (or insulation). These particles absorb some of the energy from the sound waves and convert it into heat energy instead. The same principle applies to the flooring and curtains inside the home, these materials absorb some of the energy from sound waves produced in the home, and dampen these sounds. In short, there are 3 ways to block sound, using extra space, adding objects to absorb sound, and dampening using specific materials like insulation.
There are other ways to construct buildings and rooms in a way that lead to soundproofing. Using materials that are not hollow lead to further sound wave absorption. Using walls and doors separated by gaps also leaves room for sound to be absorbed into the air space, and loose some of its energy. An unconventional method of soundproofing includes building a virtually floating room inside another room where sound is absorbed in the surrounding air (or insulated) pocket before reaching the inner room. The measurement of how well noises can pass through different materials is called the Noise Reduction Coefficient. This is the percentage of sound a material can absorb.
To soundproof anechoic chambers most scientists have used a foam material in a repeating 3D triangular pattern. The foam ensures most sound is captured, while the space between two triangular foam wedges allows sound waves to bounce back and forth for infinity, or until it is absorbed into the foam. Most sounds are absorbed, things like reverb are eliminated. Because vocal chords, and things like clapping feature some forms of reflection of sound waves off of objects in the environment.
White noise is the combination of frequencies of sound that are dispersed in an equal manner. This is similar to the way white light contains all frequencies in the viable spectrum of humans. The frequencies included can vary, but are typically all in the human auditory range. Many people listen to white noise as they sleep. This white noise is effective because it blocks any noise changes during sleep. Because we can still hear as we sleep, we are woken up by noise changes. Many people use white noise machines to help their babies sleep as well. However, throughout the research I conducted it was indicated that a lot of individuals listen to white noise at a volume that may be harmful. Typically this volume is around 85 decibels, so I would be sure to control for that factor.
Sound colors are similar to the timbre of music. Timbre indicates the quality of a sound. White noise includes an equal distribution of all the frequencies that are audible to humans (measured in Hz). Brown noise features more density in the lower frequency sounds and less as the frequencies increase. It decreases by 6dB for every octave. Blue noise features an increase of 3dB as the frequency increases, but unlike brown, its distribution is not as severe at one end or the other. Violet noise is close to being the opposite of brown noise with the majority of concentration of frequencies being on the higher spectrum. Grey splits these other colors in two and features a higher distribution of lower and higher frequencies, with a lower concentration of middle ground frequencies.
Pink noise, a variance on white noise, includes higher levels of the lower frequencies while toning down the higher frequency sounds. This is true for all of the “colors” of sounds. Each color (brown, white, pink, etc.) contains a different spread of frequencies, but an equal amount of all the frequencies included. Because people are sensitive to different frequencies, it creates a difference in preference of a “color” of sound. In my rooms I would allow individuals to choose the color of sound that they would like broadcasted, or they can choose to have complete silence.
Some research indicated that listening to white noise may impair some complex cognitive functioning, so some precautions would need to be put into place in order to be able to offer this service. I have already indicated that volume would be at a limit so that individuals could not put it high enough to induce any hearing loss or damage. I would want to do some further testing on just how much impairment occurs to higher level thinking when in the presence of white noise, but if there was any indication that extended periods of time listening to white noise would cause any cognitive deficiencies, I would set a time limit as well as a limit per day that an individual could spend in the chambers. I would also need to inform participants that some individuals (if they would choose complete silence) have found this unconformable because the sounds that do occur (by the person/individual) are not the same as they are in the natural environment due to the set up of the room. Furthermore, I would have to ensure that the desk and beds I would place in the room were also appropriately padded or of a density that would absorb a significant amount of sound as well, so that any sound that did occur within the chamber would not be allowed to reflect off of the bed or desk materials.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_noise
 
http://www.popsci.com/article/science/fyi-why-does-white-noise-help-people-sleep

https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/growth-curve/should-you-hush-white-noise
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ask-the-brains-background-noise/

http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/remodeling/soundproof-home2.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colors_of_noise#Brown.28ian.29_noise
http://www.explainthatstuff.com/soundproofing.html

Terms Used:

white noise, anechoic chambers, frequencies, sound wave, sound, noise reduction coefficient, timbre, sound color, human auditory range, reverb, hertz, decibels,

The invention I have designed is the perfect reading/ studying chair. I have named it “Study Pro Chair”. This chair is best suited for studying and relaxation because it uses an in depth understanding of the 5 senses to enhance and maximize the user’s memory and concentration. This chair serves this purpose because it is equipped with adaptations, both mechanical and non-mechanical, that support the user. The dual purpose of this chair led me to make some adaptions optional as a person may not need them, or in some cases: the adaptions may do more harm than good. I will explain the reason behind this choice as I discuss this options it pertains to.
First, I will explain the physical description the Study Pro Chair. This is a rather large, round chair with a diameter of 5 feet. I chose a chair this large because this size allows the user to study as the as they prefer, with their study materials spread out on the seat, organized on the on the attached table, or something in between. There is a 3 feet tall back on 2/3s of the chair’s circumference. There also a table which can pivot and has multiple anchor points to allow for maximum personalization. This table will be the length of the chair so it can be used no matter where the user is sitting in the chair. The angle of this table will be adjustable, with a range of 0-90 degrees as this is best for good posture, which reduces pain, and is personalizeable for the each user. There is also a cup holder that can be placed in one of the anchor points as no chair should be without cup holders. Source number 1 is a picture of what the Study Pro Chair would look similar to.
The first sense the chair utilizes is touch. A more accurate, and scientific description of the sense of touch would be tactile as the textbook includes mechanical interactions. This height of the chair back will support the two best sitting positions for this chairs purpose. There are two different positions that provided the most support for the user’s back, which means the user will perceive less back pain. This specific type of pain, kinesthetic pain, happens when our kinesthetic receptors, specifically the muscles, tendons, and joints, receive messages from the mechanoreceptors that tell the body that something is wrong and damage could happen if the problem is not fixed. Since this reads as pain, we usually try to solve the problem and avoid further pain. Back pain is often a negative consequence of bad posture and a lack of support. There are two specific positions/angles that are best for the body: 135 degrees and 90 degrees. 135 degrees is the best position if the user wants to put the minimal amount of pressure (one way pain is expressed) on the cartage disks in their spine, which relaxes the back muscles as the muscles no longer have provided all the support. While this position is the most comfortable and healthy one of the two the Study Pro chair supports, it may not be the preferred one when the users is writing, or using an electronic device. This is why the pillows will be strong enough to provide adequate back support when sitting at a 90 degree angle, which will be easiest for those who are doing more than reading. As long as those who are sitting at a 90 degree angle have enough lumbar support they should experience less back pain than if their lumbar, aka the lower back, was not properly supported. The chair would use memory foam in the cushions and pillows because memory foam has been proven to reduce back pain because the foam molds (aka support) to the body.
Tactile also covers temperature since temperature is felt via thermoreceptors are located in the epidermal and dermal layers of the skin. The human body has an ideal temperature, when people are in between two thresholds. Those two thresholds are called difference threshold, in this case one for cold and one for hot. Difference thresholds are the minimal amount of stimulation needed for the body to perceive a difference. The body is always regulating the skin and internal temperature as it wants to remain at 97.7-99.5 degrees F, the range is because everybody has a different resting temperature. This is where the difference thresholds come into play. This chair has the goal of making sure the body’s warm and cold fibers never have to fire, since they do not when the body is at just the right temperature. The difference threshold for cold is 71 degrees Fahrenheit and 77 degrees Fahrenheit for warmth. What this means is that the ideal temperature for the chair itself is between 71 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit for the warm and cold fibers to be inactive. This would only work well if the air temperature was between 71 and 77 as well. This range is because this chair is designed to boost productively, and that would mean a different ideal temperature for different users. The chair will never be colder than 68 degrees Fahrenheit because productivity drops with comfort levels and the chair would be too cold according the cold fibers in the skin at 68 degrees F or lower. This is an example of how radiant temperature (the average of all temperature from surfaces) effects productivity and comfort.
Tactile would also help with one of the sensors the chair is equipped with to promote memory and concentration. The sensor in this case is tactile vibration. The base of the chair, along with the seat will be equipped with the same technology as massage chairs, the vibration just won’t last as long as traditional massage chairs since the goal is to put the user into a relaxed state, not put them to sleep. This will work because the body has 3 different mechanoreceptors that pick up on the full vibration spectrum by using the ability to sense skin displacement: SA I, FA I, and FA II. These vibrations would be paired with Sound sensors so as to increase the noticeability of the sensors as their purpose to remind the chair user of something via an alarm. This is a feature that could be turned off as it may not be necessary at all times the chair is being used.
Sight is the next sense the chair will use to improve memory and concentration. Good lighting is an important part of effective studying, since good lighting helps prevent eye strain. Natural light is always better for the eyes than artificial or dim light. This is because artificial light and dim light cause cortisol levels to increase. This is bad because cortisol is the stress hormone. Indirect lighting is better than direct lighting for eyes than direct lighting since it better mimics natural sunlight. Source 10 has examples of indirect lighting, which can best be defined as lighting coming from large source vs a small source like a light bulb. Indirect lighting that is in side abuilding would use something like the image in source 11 as it would spread the light better, which would be on an adjustable mount like the table. One light bulb will do in this case because we are only concerned with lighting the chair. . The best way to use this light inside would be to use a light bulb with a specialized voltage and color. The light bulb used should be 90-100 watts because according to the Color Rendering Index that best copies the color temperature of natural sunlight, specifically a color temperature of 2850 K. The color temperature of full spectrum sunlight is 5500 K. If the user can’t find this specific light bulb, an incandescent lightbulb will do only if it is coated in a chemical element called neodymium. Either light bulb is okay because the human eye can’t see the full spectrum of sunlight because we just plain can’t see the whole light spectrum.
Sight is a key part of using the Tobii glasses. These glasses are important for the purpose of the Study Pro Chair because they measure saccadic eye movement. I have included this feature because if the user was using the Tobii glasses, an alarm would sound/be felt when the user stopped paying attention. This can be measured because the eyes use saccadic eye movement when reading, so it seems that these glasses(along with a window device for monitoring) could be used to measure when the eyes stop doing saccadic eye movement which is when the alarm would go off. This is one of the features that would be optional as some people might never need them (the blind) or there might be times the user simply wants to fun read until in very comfortable chair.
Sound is the next sense this chair utilizes as a tool to improve memory and concentration when studying/reading. One way the chair provides this is the speakers built into the chair. This means that the user can play the white noise sounds that come equipped with the chair, or use the adapter for smartphones and MP3 players to play their own music. The chair comes with white noise (a combination of all sounds in the human hearing spectrum equally) as it is would help block out distracting sounds. This works because the human ear has the auditory system that uses the parts of the ear (inner ear, middle ear and outer ear) to transduce sound waves into messages the Auditory nerve can send to the brain. The brain then decides if it likes the sounds or dislikes the sounds based on four factors: intensity/amplitude, frequency, loudness, and pitch.
This is where the second half of the alarm comes into play. Amplitude/intensity is how loud a sound is perceived to be based on increases and decreases in sound pressure waves. The pitch is how often a sound is heard in one second, aka the frequency. All of these aspects of sound combine to make up the loudness of sound. A loud sound would be the second part of the alarm that goes off when sensors detect a lack of movement. The alarm would start off at 103 decibels which would run for 7.5 minutes (which the longest sounds that loud can be heard safely) and would slowly grow to a 106 decibels sound for 30 seconds at most. This alarm would sound, paired with vibration¸ in cycles until the user of the Study Pro Chair either moved or redirected their attention. The cycle is an important part of this because the user wants to avoid cognitive habituation by using temporal integration to the alarms’ advantage because humans find repetitive noises very irritating. Perspective buyers of the Study Pro Chair might wonder why these alarms are important, and there two main reasons movement/study breaks are good ways to improve memory and concentration while studying. The first reason is that sitting for too long is very unhealthy; it has been linked to illness like obesity, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Study breaks actually improve the memory of the subject the user is learning because these breaks provided the brain time to process the information being learned and increase energy levels. Theses breaks are most effective when the user studies for 50 minutes before taking a 10 minute break.
Smell and taste are technically two different senses but I think it makes sense to tie them together as they both serve similar functions for this chairs’ purpose. This chair enables the users to use scent to their advantage best, by using a certain scent to trigger their memories of the subject they studied on the day of their tests. This works because the olfactory nerve is connected to the amygdala, which is the memory and emotion center of the brain. The user can choose a certain scent they want the chair to emit based on their preferences. For example the chair could release a peppermint scent if the user plans on chewing peppermint gum during their test. This is one of the functions that could be turned off as many people have chemical/ fragrance intolerances. Through the use of all 5 senses, the Study Pro Chair enhances and maximizes the user’s memory and concentration.
Terms: studying, 5 senses , memory, concentration, adaptations, physical description diameter, circumference, touch, tactile, mechanical interactions, sitting positions , back, perceive, back pain, kinesthetic pain, kinesthetic receptors, muscles, tendons, joints, mechanoreceptors , damage, negative consequence , pressure, cartage disks , spine, lumbar support, lumbar, temperature, thermoreceptors, epidermal, dermal layers , skin, thresholds, difference threshold, cold , hot, stimulation, skin, internal temperature , warm and cold, fibers, fire, Fahrenheit, air temperature , productivity, radiant temperature , tactile vibration, vibration , vibration spectrum, skin displacement: SA I, FA I, FA II, Sight, eye strain, Natural light , artificial, dim light, cortisol levels , Stress hormone, Indirect lighting, eyes, direct lighting , voltage, color, Color Rendering Index, color temperature of natural sunlight, full spectrum sunlight , incandescent lightbulb, chemical element , neodymium, light spectrum, Tobii glasses, saccadic eye movement, blind, Sound, white noise sounds , human hearing spectrum , auditory system , inner ear, middle ear, outer ear, transduce sound waves , Auditory nerve , intensity, amplitude, frequency, loudness, pitch, loud, increases, decreases, sound pressure waves, decibels, cognitive habituation , temporal integration, obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease, energy levels, Smell, taste, olfactory nerve, amygdala, emotion center, brain, scent, chemical/ fragrance intolerances
Sources:
1. http://www.louisvillerosesociety.org/various-types-of-round-swivel-chair.html/oversized-round-swivel-chair-with-cup-holder#image-1
2. http://www.penciljack.com/forum/showthread.php?77659-Drawing-Desk-To-tilt-or-not-to-tilt
3. ttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6187080.stm
4. http://www.theofficeguide.com/general/lumbar/
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumbar
6. http://www.sleeplikethedead.com/mattressreview-memory-foam.html
7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_body_temperature
8. http://productivity-science.com/blogen/post/What-temperature-is-best-for-your-productivity.aspx
9. http://sustainabilityworkshop.autodesk.com/buildings/human-thermal-comfort
10. https://blog.bufferapp.com/the-science-of-how-room-temperature-and-lighting-affects-our-productivity
11. http://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/WestElmLight.jpg
12. http://www.brighthubengineering.com/consumer-appliances-electronics/91917-which-commercial-light-bulbs-are-closest-to-the-sunlight-spectrum/
13. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neodymium
14. http://www.tobii.com/en/eye-tracking-research/global/products/hardware/tobii-glasses-eye-tracker/technical-specifications/
15. http://www.dangerousdecibels.org/education/information-center/decibel-exposure-time-guidelines/
16. http://www.sciencefocus.com/qa/why-are-repetitive-noises-so-annoying
17. http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/sitting/faq-20058005
18. http://lifehacker.com/the-science-behind-posture-and-how-it-affects-your-brai-1463291618
19. http://web.mit.edu/uaap/learning/study/breaks.html
20. http://psychology.about.com/od/memory/ss/ten-facts-about-memory_8.htm

For my invention I wanted to find a way to reduce or get rid of drusen. Drusen are tiny yellow or white accumulations of extracellular material that build up between Bruch's membrane and the retinal pigment epithelium of the eye. The presence of a few small drusen is normal with advancing age, and most people over 40 have some hard drusen. However, the presence of larger and more numerous drusen in the macula is a common early sign of age-related macular degeneration or AMD. Drusen that are associated with aging and macular degeneration are distinct from another clinical entity, optic disc drusen, which is present on the optic nerve head. Both age-related drusen and optic disc drusen can be observed by ophthalmoscopy. OCT scans of the orbits or head, calcification at the head of the optic nerve without change in size of globe strongly suggests drusen in a middle-age or elderly patient. Going to regular yearly checkups with an optometrist can detect early signs of drusen capable of causing AMD.

Age-related macular degeneration is a medical condition that usually affects older adults and results in a loss of vision in the center of the visual field or the macula area because of damage to the retina caused by drusen. It occurs in "dry" and "wet" forms. It is a major cause of blindness and visual impairment in older adults and affects more than 30 million people globally. Macular degeneration can make it difficult or impossible to read or recognize faces, although enough peripheral vision remains to allow other activities of daily life. Starting from the inside of the eye and going towards the outer surface, the three main layers at the back of the eye are the retina, which is light-sensitive tissue that is considered part of the central nervous system and is actually brain tissue; the choroid, which is made up of a web of blood vessels; and the sclera, which is the tough, white, outer layer of the eye. Age-related macular degeneration begins with characteristic yellow deposits which is drusen in the macula, between the retinal pigment epithelium and the underlying choroid. Most people with these early changes still have good vision. People with drusen may or may not develop AMD, in fact the majority of people over age 55 have drusen with no negative effects. The risk of developing symptoms is higher when the drusen are large and numerous and associated with disturbance in the pigmented cell layer under the macula. Large and soft drusen are thought to be related to elevated cholesterol deposits. The dry form of advanced AMD results from deterioration of the retinal pigment epithelial layer below the retina. This causes vision loss through loss of photoreceptors which are the rods and cones in the central part of the eye. The wet form of AMD causes vision loss due to abnormal blood vessel growth in the choriocapillaris through Bruch's membrane. The proliferation of abnormal blood vessels in the retina is stimulated by vascular endothelial growth factor. Unfortunately these new vessels are fragile ultimately leading to blood and protein leakage below the macula. Bleeding, leaking, and scarring from these blood vessels eventually causes irreversible damage to the photoreceptors and rapid vision loss if left untreated. Only about 10% of patients suffering from macular degeneration have the wet type. My invention would not be able to help those that suffer from wet AMD.

The retina is a light-sensitive layer of tissue, lining the inner surface of the eye. The optics of the eye create an image of the visual world on the retina through the cornea and lens area in the eye. Light striking the retina initiates a flow of chemical and electrical events that ultimately trigger nerve impulses. These are sent to various visual centers of the brain through the fibers of the optic nerve. The optic nerve is a paired nerve that transmits visual information from the retina to the brain. The optic nerve is derived from optic stalks and is composed of retinal ganglion cell axons and glial cells. In humans, the optic nerve extends from the optic disc to the optic chiasm and continues as the optic tract to the lateral geniculate nucleus, pretectal nuclei, and superior colliculus.

The retina is a layered structure with several layers of neurons interconnected by synapses. The only neurons that are directly sensitive to light are the photoreceptor cells. These are mainly of two types: the rods and cones. Rods function mainly in dim light and provide black-and-white vision, while cones support daytime vision and the perception of color. Rods and cones were topics discussed in our book early in our semester when learning about the different components in the eye responsible for seeing in the day and at night. A third, much rarer type of photoreceptor, the intrinsically photosensitive ganglion cell, is important for reflexive responses to bright daylight. It is in the layers of neurons connected by synapses that drusen becomes apparent.

So far my research has shown me that there has been some success in keeping drusen at bay when detected through gene treatment and therapy. Other unsuccessful treatment have gone as far as retinal transplantation. The reason why I wish to find a way to get rid of drusen is because I have family members already effected by this that has caused their AMD, which also puts me at a high risk for developing this later in life. For my grandma she did not go in on her yearly checkups so by the time they found the AMD she had already lost sight in most of her right eye. This was shown after the optometrist found several large hard drusen in her eye. What I propose is a surgical way of going in and removing this drusen. By doing this I hope to relieve the pressure that has built up on the retina and this should gradually return sight to the affected areas in the eye. By finding a way to cure AMD we would see more people be able to maintain their sight even into later years of life.

Macular degeneration by itself will not lead to total blindness. For that matter, only a very small number of people with visual impairment are totally blind. In almost all cases, some vision remains, mainly peripheral. Other complicating conditions may possibly lead to such an acute condition like a severe stroke or trauma and untreated glaucoma, but few macular degeneration patients experience total visual loss. The area of the macula comprises only about 2.1% of the retina, and the remaining 97.9% of the peripheral field remains unaffected by the disease. Interestingly, even though the macula provides such a small fraction of the visual field, almost half of the visual cortex is devoted to processing macular information. The loss of central vision profoundly affects visual functioning. It is quite difficult, to read without central vision. Pictures that attempt to depict the central visual loss of macular degeneration with a black spot do not really do justice to the devastating nature of the visual loss. I good picture example can be found in our text book where it shows the gradual onset of the disease. This shows how people are not likely to notice a difference in their visual field until it is already too late. There is a loss of contrast sensitivity, so that contours, shadows, and color vision are less vivid. The loss in contrast sensitivity can be quickly and easily measured by a contrast sensitivity test performed either at home or by an eye specialist.

There are many risk factors that are involved in determining how likely a person is to getting AMD. About 10% of patients 66 to 74 years of age will have findings of macular degeneration. The prevalence increases to 30% in patients 75 to 85 years of age. The lifetime risk of developing late-stage macular degeneration is 50% for people who have a relative with macular degeneration, versus 12% for people who do not have relatives with macular degeneration. Some studies indicate drusen are similar in molecular composition to plaques and deposits in other age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and atherosclerosis. While there is a tendency for drusen to be blamed for the progressive loss of vision, drusen deposits can be present in the retina without vision loss. Some patients with large deposits of drusen have normal visual acuity. If normal retinal reception and image transmission are sometimes possible in a retina when high concentrations of drusen are present even if drusen can be implicated in the loss of visual function there must be at least one other factor that accounts for the loss of vision. Taking this into consideration I know my invention would not work for all patients with high deposits of drusen. Elevated cholesterol may increase the risk of AMD as well as abdominal obesity, especially among men. Macular degeneration is more likely to be found in Caucasians than in people of African descent. Smoking tobacco increases the risk of AMD by two to three times that of someone who has never smoked, and may be the most important changeable factor in its prevention.

We can see from my research that there is still a possibility that even if we are able to develop a surgery technique to remove drusen that it may not work for all individuals with AMD. Currently are best method of curing AMD is to take precautionary steps to avoid every developing the disease. This means to have a healthy diet and exercise to help reduce the risk. I do believe that if we are able to develop this surgical treatment that it would be able to help many people already affected by AMD with causes related to drusen deposits.

http://www.wesnorman.com/cranialnerves.htm This site I used to better explain optic nerves along with information already from our text.

https://pediaview.com/openpedia/Age-related_macular_degeneration This site I used as a reference for the risk factors and current treatments for AMD. It also talked about symptoms of the disease.

https://www.nei.nih.gov/health/maculardegen/armd_facts This site reference drusen more than our text, and once again covered treatment available for AMD as well as in depth explanations on the disease.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1350946201000106 This study goes into further detail how drusen can affect AMD. (I could not direct link it so you must login through UNI first to read the article)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3170645/pdf/1471-2415-11-22.pdf This was an interesting study done on rabbits to show the effect of cholesterol and obesity on the retina of animals and how this also relates to humans.

http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/173/11/1246.long This site I used to get my information about obesity affects directly related to drusen development.

http://www.nature.com/eye/journal/v19/n9/full/6701978a.html This was a comparative study to show the relationship between smoking and AMD.

Terms: Drusen, age related macular degeneration, wet AMD, dry AMD, retina, macula, optic nerve head, lateral geniculate nucleus, pretectal nuclei, superior colliculus, OCT scans, choriocapillaris, Bruch's membrane, cornea, rods, cones, photoreceptors, ganglion cell axons, glial cells, visual cortex, visual field, Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, image transmission, cholesterol, obesity, smoking, blindness, neurons, and gene therapy