Separate Intervals Research Articles

Cats and owners interact more with each other after a longer duration of separation.

Little is known about the cat’s (Felis silvestris catus) need for human contact, although it is generally believed that cats are more independent pets than e.g. dogs. In this study, we investigated the effect of time left alone at home on cat behaviour (e.g. social and distress-related) before, during and after separation from their owner. Fourteen privately owned cats (single-housed) were each subjected to two treatments: the cat was left alone in their home environment for 30 min (T0.5) and for 4 h (T4). There were no differences between treatments in the behaviour of the cat (or owner) before owner departure, nor during the first 5 min of separation. During separation, cats were lying down resting proportionally less (T = 22.5, P = 0.02) in T0.5 (0.27±0.1 (mean±SE)) compared to in T4 (0.58±0.08), probably due to a similar duration of higher activity early in the separation phase in both treatments. Comparisons of the time interval (min 20–25) in both treatments indicated no differences across treatments, which supports such an explanation. Towards the end of the separation phase (the last two 5-min intervals of separation in both treatments), no differences were observed in the cats’ behaviour, indicating that cats were unaffected by separation length. At reunion however, cats purred more (T = 10.5, P = 0.03) and stretched their body more (T = 17, P = 0.04) after a longer duration of separation (T4:0.05±0.02; 0.03±0.01; T0.5: 0.01±0.007; 0.008±0.003). Also, owners initiated more verbal contact (T = 33.5, P = 0.04) after 4 h (0.18±0.05) compared to after 30 min (0.12±0.03). There was no evidence of any correlations between the level of purring or body stretching by the cat and verbal contact by the owner implying that the behavioural expressions seen in the cats are independent of the owner’s behaviour. Hence, it seemed as cats coped well with being left alone, but they were affected by the time they were left alone, since they expressed differences in behaviour when the owner returned home. The increased level of social contact initiated by the cats after a longer duration of separation indicates a rebound of contact-seeking behaviour, implying that the owner is an important part of the cat’s social environment.

Conodont-based Griesbachian biochronology of the Guryul Ravine section (basal Triassic, Kashmir, India)

The Guryul Ravine section (Kashmir, India) exposes one the world's most continuous carbonate rock successions throughout the Permian-Triassic boundary and beyond. Due to political instability in this region, the biostratigraphy of this section has not been updated for nearly three decades. Following new high-resolution sampling, we reassess here the conodont biochronology and isotopic records of the fifteen lowermost stratigraphical metres (Member E) of the Khunamuh Formation at Guryul Ravine section. This interval includes both the Permian-Triassic and the Griesbachian-Dienerian (lower-upper Induan) boundaries. The First Occurrence of Hindeodus parvus, the index for the base of the Triassic, is confirmed in the middle of sub-member E2 (Unit 56 in Matsuda, 1981 [Journal of Geosciences, Osaka City University 24, 75–108]; our bed GUR09). We characterize 11 Unitary Association Zones based on the conodont record from China and from Guryul Ravine. UAZ1–2 are Late Permian and identified only in South China, UAZ3–11 are identified both in China and Guryul Ravine. The Griesbachian-Dienerian boundary is included within the interval of separation between UAZ8 and UAZ9. At Guryul Ravine, this boundary is precisely constrained between beds GUR310 and GUR311, and corresponds to the replacement of segminiplanate (here Clarkina and Neoclarkina) by segminate (Sweetospathodus and Neospathodus) conodonts. This faunal turnover was possibly linked to a climate change at the Griesbachian-Dienerian transition, from a cool and dry to a hot and humid climate. This transition could be the trigger of the migration of neogondolellids towards high latitudes and of the radiation of neospathodids during the Dienerian.

Survey Satisfaction? A Look at Post-Endoscopy Satisfaction Scores

Introduction: Patient satisfaction is an important outcome measure for both the patient and endoscopy unit. Poor experiences may lead to non-compliance with endoscopic screening and/or monitoring. Quality measures are instated to ensure oversight and evaluation of processes guaranteeing continued improvement. The purpose of this study is to organize the post-procedure satisfaction data into a useful reference as well as analyze various patient-centered parameters to find trends that might influence the overall outcome and lead to process improvements in order to optimize the patient experience. Methods: A database of two cohorts of outpatients that underwent endoscopic procedures at Georgetown University Hospital at two separate three-month intervals ranging from November 2012-January 2013 and November 2015-January 2016 was compiled. The variables recorded included age, sex, BMI, type of procedure, indication for procedure, time of the procedure, length of procedure, type of prep used, endoscopist, satisfactory score, and comments/reasons for score. For continuous and categorical variables, differences in averages were tested by two sample t-test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, ANOVA and Chisquare test as appropriate. Correlation test and linear regression analyses were also conducted to examine relationships between length of procedure and continuous predictors. Results: With the addition of post-procedure calls, instilled in January 2014, the response rate was 40.5% (508/1256 patients). Prior to the calls, the documented post procedure satisfaction survey completion rate was 3.4%. There was a statistically significant improved response rate pre and post intervention. Figure 1 shows the relationship between age and procedure length. As is shown by a positive slope in the graph, there is a statistically significant relationship, albeit small and with little clinical significance.Figure: Figure 1 is a FitPlot of the relationship between age and procedure length. As is shown by a positive slope in the graph, there is a statistically significant relationship, albeit small. Using linear regression analysis, the relationship between age and procedure length was confirmed (data not shown) and it can be concluded that for every year increase in age, there is a 0.06 minute (3.6 second) increase in length of procedure.Conclusion: Our study proves that calling patients after they undergo endoscopy can drastically improve post procedure satisfaction response rates. The secondary aim of this study was to identify independent variables that directly affect length of procedure which often a surrogate for patient satisfaction. There was a statistically significant correlation with an increase in procedure length with increasing age, but interestingly, no association with BMI. We can conclude based on our data that changing the scheduling or time allotted for procedures based on age or weight would not drastically change the flow in the endoscopy suite.Table: Table. Comparison of Response Rate between Pre and Post InterventionTable: Table. Examining Gender and Time of Procedure as Independent Predictors of Procedure Length

Survival and growth of tree seedlings as a function of seed size in a gallery forest under restoration

ABSTRACT Seed size is commonly related to higher rates of emergence and survival, and biomass of seedlings when introduced by direct seeding. However, few studies have evaluated whether this relationship persists when species are reintroduced as seedlings or if this effect persists after seed reserves decline. This study evaluated the effect of seed size (mass) on the probability of survival and growth of seedlings of nine native tree species introduced into a pasture area, which was originally a gallery forest in the state of Sao Paulo in Southeastern Brazil. The experiment occurred over the course of 24 months, in which was divided into three separate time intervals: 14 to 61 days, 61 days to 12 months, and 12 to 24 months. Seedling survival in the field was high for all three time-intervals. Seed mass positively influenced the probability of seedling survival throughout all three time-intervals after planting, but the intensity of this effect decreased with time. Species with smaller seeds exhibited higher relative growth rates (height), but only until the end of the first year. Our results suggest that seed mass is a functional trait that can predict the probability of the establishment of individual trees during forest restoration.

A pre-registered naturalistic observation of within domain mental fatigue and domain-general depletion of self-control.

Self-control is often believed to operate as if it were a finite, domain-general resource. However, recent attempts to demonstrate this under transparent conditions have failed to yield positive results. In the current study, we monitor two groups of students (N1 = 8,867, N2 = 8,754) over separate 17-week intervals with 24-hour coverage, as they engage in voluntary learning and self-testing using an online program. We use daily behavior to assess whether time-of-day effects support domain-general theories of self-control. Additionally, we assess whether mental fatigue emerges within task during prolonged persistent effort. Results reveal within-task fatigue emerges within an hour on-task. However, there is a negligible effect on ability throughout the day. Additionally, time-of-day has no detrimental effect on motivation; rather there is a strong tendency to increase learning time at night. Results are consistent with theories indicating people lose motivation within a specific task, but at odds with theories that argue for a domain-general self-control resource.

RBC Transfusion Triggers in Orthopaedic Lower Limb Arthroplasty

Introduction We implemented a hospital-wide mandatory RBC transfusion trigger checklist based on the haemoglobin level transfusion thresholds recommended by the German federal physicians board. Transfusion triggers, transfusion rates and hospital LOS in orthopaedic lower limb arthroplasty were compared before and after implementation of the transfusion trigger checklist. The goal was to evaluate the effect of this single and easy-to-implement intervention on transfusion rates in orthopaedic lower limb arthroplasty. Methods 893 patients for elective THR or TKR were enrolled in two separate 6-month intervals: 481 patients before and 412 patients after implementation of the RBC transfusion trigger checklist. In addition to demographic data, we collected haemoglobin values pre-operatively, at POD 5 and before any RBC transfusion, in order to calculate and compare the total perioperative blood loss and transfusion triggers in the two groups. Transfusion rates and hospital LOS were recorded and evaluated. Results Transfusion rates changed from 12.3% (THR) and 12.3% (TKR) to 4.7% (THR) and 3.2% (TKR) after implementation of the transfusion trigger checklist. The average haemoglobin transfusion threshold changed from 8.17 to 7.13 g/dl. Hospital LOS changed from 10.20 (THR) and 10.59 (TKR) days to 9.48 (THR) and 9.81 (TKR) days. Conclusion A mandatory RBC transfusion trigger checklist is a very effective tool to optimise transfusion rates and to control haemoglobin-based transfusion thresholds in orthopaedic lower limb arthroplasty. Negative effects, such as prolonged hospital LOS, were not observed.

OVEMP as an objective indicator of successful repositioning maneuver

Background and objectiveBenign paroxysmal positioning vertigo (BPPV) is the most common peripheral vestibular disorder. Canalolithiasis in the posterior semi-circular canal is the most common underlying pathology that can be treated effectively by repositioning maneuvers. Our hypothesis suggested that successful maneuvers can lead to repositioning of dislodged otoconia to the utricle. Materials and methodsAir conducted oVEMP, which is thought to originate from the contra-lateral utricular organ was measured in twenty patients with unilateral BPPV and we compared n1–p1 peak to peak amplitude of the affected ears in 3 separate intervals: on pre-treatment when typical nystagmus was confirmed, immediately after, and 1 week after repositioning maneuvers to assess change, if any, in amplitude. ResultsThis study showed significant increase of oVEMP amplitude in the affected ears after successful repositioning maneuver that was more significant after 1 week. ConclusionsoVEMP can be used as a reliable objective test for ensuring a successful maneuver rather than subjective dependence on the patient's symptoms, which may be misleading due to a remission.

The zonal-mean and regional tropospheric pressure responses to changes in ionospheric potential

Global reanalysis data reveal daily surface pressure responses to changes in the global ionospheric potential in both polar and sub-polar regions. We use 21 years of data to show that the pressure response to externally-induced ionospheric potential changes, that are due to the interplanetary magnetic field east-west (IMF By) component, are present in two separate decadal intervals, and follow the opposite ionospheric potential changes in the Arctic and Antarctic for a given By. We use the 4 years of available data to show that the pressure responses to changes in internally generated ionospheric potential, that are caused by low-latitude thunderstorms and highly electrified clouds, agree in sign and sensitivity with those externally generated. We have determined that the daily varying pressure responses are stronger in local winter and spring. The pressure responses at polar latitudes are predominantly over the Antarctic and Greenland ice caps, and those at sub-polar latitudes are of opposite sign, mainly over oceans. A lead-lag analysis confirms that the responses maximize within two days of the ionospheric potential input. Regions of surface pressure fluctuating by about 4 hPa in winter are found with ionospheric potential changes of about 40 kV. The consistent pressure response to the independent external and internal inputs strongly supports the reality of a cloud microphysical mechanism affected by the global electric circuit. A speculative mechanism involves the ionosphere-earth current density Jz, which produces space charge at cloud boundaries and electrically charged droplets and aerosol particles. Ultrafine aerosol particles, under the action of electro-anti-scavenging, are enabled to grow to condensation nuclei size, affecting cloud microphysics and cloud opacity and surface pressure on time scales of hours.

Influence of a hydrophobic core on thermoresponsive behavior of dendrimer-based star-shaped poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline) in aqueous solutions

The behavior of eight-arm, star-shaped poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline) (PiPrOx8) with a hydrophobic dendrimer core was studied in aqueous solutions by light scattering and turbidimetry methods. In order to reveal the influence of the star-shaped structure, model linear PiPrOxs were investigated for comparison. The experiments were carried out within a 100-fold concentration interval at temperatures from 15 to 63 °C. Dendrimer core interaction lead to the formation of different types of aggregates at low temperatures as compared to star-shaped PiPrOx with different cores. The temperatures of the phase separation interval were determined and analyzed depending on concentration. It was shown that macromolecule shrinkage and aggregation occur below the phase separation onset which results from the specific chemical nature of macromolecules and their hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance.

Research on parameter selection method for support vector machines

The kernel parameter and penalty parameter C are the main factors that affect the learning performance of the support vector machine. However, there are many deficiencies in the existing kernel parameters and penalty parameters C. These methods do not have high accuracy when it comes to classifying multi-category samples, and even ignore some of the samples to conduct training, which violates the integrity of the experimental data. In contrast, this paper improves the selection method of support vector machine kernel parameters and penalty parameters in two ways. First, it obtains the kernel parameter value by optimizing the maximum separation interval between the samples. Second, it optimizes the generalization ability estimation via the influence of the non-boundary support vector on the stability of the support vector machine. The method takes full account of all the training sample data, which is applicable to most sample types, and has the characteristics of low initialization requirements and high-test accuracy. The paper finally uses multiple sets of UCI sample data sets and facial image recognition to verify the method. The experimental results show that the method is feasible, effective and stable.

ASSOCIATION OF CIRCADIAN REST AND ACTIVITY RHYTHMS WITH BRAIN VOLUMES IN COGNITIVELY NORMAL OLDER ADULTS

AbstractDisturbed circadian rest/activity rhythms have been linked to cognitive decline, but little is known about their association with neuroimaging-derived brain volumes. We studied 176 cognitively normal participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging aged 74.8 ± 8.9 years (58% women, 29% non-White), who were instructed to wear wrist actigraphs for seven consecutive 24-hour periods and underwent 3T magnetic resonance imaging scans, with total gray and white matter, ventricular volume, and hippocampal volume quantified using a multi-atlas segmentation approach (MUSE software). We used function-on-scalar regression models, a data-driven approach, to quantify links between timing of actigraphic activity counts and brain volumes, adjusting for age, sex, education, CES-D score, MMSE score, and intracranial volume. Gray matter, white matter, ventricular, and hippocampal volumes were considered in separate models and time intervals rounded to the nearest 30 minutes. On average, lower gray matter volume was associated with higher activity levels between 2:30 AM and 12:30 PM and between 4:30 PM and 11:30 PM, lower white matter volume was associated with greater activity between 12:00 AM and 11:00 AM, and larger ventricles were associated with lower activity between 3:00 AM and 6:00 AM and higher activity between 6:30 PM and 12:00 AM (all p<.05). Lower hippocampal volume was associated with lower activity between 9:30 AM and 4:30 PM (p<.05). Results suggest that rest/activity patterns may be differentially associated with brain gray and white matter, and hippocampal volume. Longitudinal studies are needed to evaluate whether particular rhythms precede and perhaps promote neuronal loss, and vice versa.

BRIDGING GAPS BETWEEN ZOO AND WILDLIFE MEDICINE: ESTABLISHING REFERENCE INTERVALS FOR FREE-RANGING AFRICAN LIONS (PANTHERA LEO)

The International Species Information System has set forth an extensive database of reference intervals for zoologic species, allowing veterinarians and game park officials to distinguish normal health parameters from underlying disease processes in captive wildlife. However, several recent studies comparing reference values from captive and free-ranging animals have found significant variation between populations, necessitating the development of separate reference intervals in free-ranging wildlife to aid in the interpretation of health data. Thus, this study characterizes reference intervals for six biochemical analytes, eleven hematologic or immune parameters, and three hormones using samples from 219 free-ranging African lions ( Panthera leo ) captured in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Using the original sample population, exclusion criteria based on physical examination were applied to yield a final reference population of 52 clinically normal lions. Reference intervals were then generated via 90% confidence intervals on log-transformed data using parametric bootstrapping techniques. In addition to the generation of reference intervals, linear mixed-effect models and generalized linear mixed-effect models were used to model associations of each focal parameter with the following independent variables: age, sex, and body condition score. Age and sex were statistically significant drivers for changes in hepatic enzymes, renal values, hematologic parameters, and leptin, a hormone related to body fat stores. Body condition was positively correlated with changes in monocyte counts. Given the large variation in reference values taken from captive versus free-ranging lions, it is our hope that this study will serve as a baseline for future clinical evaluations and biomedical research targeting free-ranging African lions.

Temperature variations in the dayside magnetosheath and their dependence on ion‐scale magnetic structures: THEMIS statistics and measurements by MMS

AbstractThe magnetosheath contains an array of waves, instabilities, and nonlinear magnetic structures which modify global plasma properties by means of various wave‐particle interactions. The present work demonstrates that ion‐scale magnetic field structures (∼0.2–0.5 Hz) observed in the dayside magnetosheath are statistically correlated to ion temperature changes on orders 10–20% of the background value. In addition, our statistical analysis implies that larger temperature changes are in equipartition to larger amplitude magnetic structures. This effect was more pronounced behind the quasi‐parallel bow shock and during faster solar wind speeds. The study of two separate intervals suggests that this effect can result from both local and external drivers. This manuscript presents two separate case studies, one from using THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms) data and another from Magnetospheric Multiscale; these measurements are then supported by extensive THEMIS statistical observations. These results could partly explain the 10–20% dawn‐favored asymmetry of the magnetosheath ion temperature seed population and contribute to the dawn‐favored asymmetry of cold component ions in the cold dense plasma sheet.

Mechanistic modelling of a recombinase‐based two‐input temporal logic gate

Site-specific recombinases (SSRs) mediate efficient manipulation of DNA sequences in vitro and in vivo. In particular, serine integrases have been identified as highly effective tools for facilitating DNA inversion, enabling the design of genetic switches that are capable of turning the expression of a gene of interest on or off in the presence of a SSR protein. The functional scope of such circuitry can be extended to biological Boolean logic operations by incorporating two or more distinct integrase inputs. To date, mathematical modelling investigations have captured the dynamical properties of integrase logic gate systems in a purely qualitative manner, and thus such models are of limited utility as tools in the design of novel circuitry. Here, the authors develop a detailed mechanistic model of a two-input temporal logic gate circuit that can detect and encode sequences of input events. Their model demonstrates quantitative agreement with time-course data on the dynamics of the temporal logic gate, and is shown to subsequently predict dynamical responses relating to a series of induction separation intervals. The model can also be used to infer functional variations between distinct integrase inputs, and to examine the effect of reversing the roles of each integrase on logic gate output.

Optimized calibration methodology of VIIRS day-night band low-gain stage using a solar diffuser.

An enhanced methodology of the standard on-orbit calibration of the day-night band (DNB) of the visible infrared imaging radiometer suite on board the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite is presented, specifically for the low-gain stage. The range of the "sweet spot" for the fully illuminated scans in the calibration events is expanded from 4° to 7.8° in order to increase the number of fully illuminated scans to 72, which then permits a complete calibration of the DNB to be carried out within one orbit for all 36 aggregated modes and the two mirror sides. This improves over the current operational methodology, which is with a more restricted range for the sweet spot that requires multiple orbits to complete a calibration. The expansion necessarily requires the expansion of a key calibration input, the product of the bidirectional reflectance factor of the solar diffuser (SD) with the vignetting function describing the transmission of the attenuation screen in front of the SD port, or BVP for short. The expanded BVP is derived by fitting the function in three separate intervals and joining them smoothly to form a single function. Additional enhancements include the adaptation of the previously improved SD degradation and all other improvements developed for reflective solar bands from the previous work. The time-dependent relative spectral response is also characterized and implemented, and its impact and improvements are studied and discussed. The result shows that the improved DNB calibration coefficients are more stable and smooth, and less noisy.

Evolving Fuzzy Neural Network Equalization of Channel Impulse Response in Optical Mode Division Multiplexing

Optical mode division multiplexing (MDM) systems suffer from the inter-symbol interference (ISI) issues due to nonlinear channel impairments in multimode fiber from mode coupling and modal dispersion. Existing equalization algorithms in MDM systems such as least mean square (LMS) and recursive least squares (RLS) operate linearly and thus far, are unable to effectively mitigate the nonlinear channel impairments. To address this issue, a nonlinear evolving fuzzy neural network (EFuNN) equalization scheme was developed in MATLAB to reshape the channel impulse response of a MDM system comprising five Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) modes at the transmitter to five reference Gaussian pulses at separate time intervals at the receiver in order to mitigate the effects of ISI from nonlinear channel impairments.

Loss of developmental pluripotency occurs in two stages during leaf aging in Arabidopsis thaliana

Aging in plants and animals can result in the loss of cellular pluripotency and the inability to regenerate multiple organs from differentiated, somatic tissues. Detached cotyledons from Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. seedlings can proliferate to form callus as well as root and shoot organs in the presence of the phytohormones auxin and cytokinin or their synthetic analogs. In this study, detached cotyledons from the ecotype Landsberg erecta (Ler-0) demonstrated two separate developmental intervals of pluripotency loss. During a 48- to 60-h interval, occurring approximately 4 to 6 d after germination (DAG), detached cotyledons from Ler-0 could proliferate new cells (callus) but lost shoot regeneration competency, which the ecotype Nossen-0 (No-0) retained. In older cotyledons, the pluripotency loss was more severe, as detached cotyledons failed to proliferate callus. In the first interval, Ler-0 cotyledons lost the ability to respond to treatment with a high concentration of synthetic auxin, a level previously hypothesized to promote dedifferentiation. However, both young and old Ler-0 cotyledons were found to induce WUSCHEL::NLS-GUS, a marker for undifferentiated shoot apical meristem cells. The late-stage interval positively correlated to the timing of slowed growth in cotyledons still attached to intact seedlings. Also, cytokinin overexpression could rescue (or delay) this late-stage callus proliferation failure, but not the early-stage decline in shoot regeneration ability. Combined, the results demonstrate that loss of pluripotency in vitro occurs in distinct temporal stages and involves auxin and/or cytokinin signaling. Furthermore, there is genetic variation for this loss of pluripotency within Arabidopsis.

Analysis of dynamic plasma behaviours in gas metal arc welding by imaging spectroscopy

For gas metal arc welding, the effect of CO2 mixture in a shielding gas on a metal transfer process was investigated through the observation of the plasma characteristics and dynamic behaviour at the droplet’s growth-separation-transfer by the temperature measurement methods which were suitable, respectively, to the argon plasma region and the metal plasma region. At the present experimental conditions, the metal transfer process was a spray transfer type with 100%Ar shielding gas. On the other hand, with 85%Ar + 15%CO2 shielding gas, the metal transfer process was a globular transfer type in which the arc length was shorter, the width was narrower and the time interval of the droplet separation was longer. For both shielding gases, the metal plasma region near the arc central axis exhibited 6500–7500 K, which was lower than the argon plasma region. With 85%Ar + 15%CO2 shielding gas, when the metal droplet grew below the electrode wire, the region below the droplet has a high plasma temperature and a high concentration of iron vapour which surrounded the droplet. The region also exhibited a remarkably high electron number density. At the spray transfer process, the argon plasma region had an electron number density twice as high as the metal plasma region. Meanwhile, at the globular transfer process, the metal plasma region had a higher electron number density than the argon plasma region, which corresponded to a higher electrical conductivity near the arc axis. This means that the electric current goes through the arc axis easier than the spray transfer process. This condition increases the temperature below the droplet. The thermal expansion increases the force preventing the droplet from falling down. In consequence, the metal transfer takes the globular transfer type.

Parkinson's disease monitoring by biomechanical instability of phonation

Patients suffering from Parkinson's disease (PD) may be successfully treated pharmacologically and surgically to preserve and even improve their life quality and health conditions. Although the progress of the disease cannot be stopped, at least mitigation of the most handicapping symptoms can be achieved. But both pharmacological and surgical treatments require the adequate monitoring of the disease stage of progress and the effects of treatment. Several techniques have been proposed for PD evolution monitoring, ranging from subjective auto-evaluation by questionnaires, or from gait and handwriting examination by specialists. Nevertheless, these techniques present certain difficulties, which make frequent evaluation impractical. On the other hand, it is known that speech acoustic analysis may estimate indicators of patient's conditions, and can be implemented for a frequent evaluation protocol; and under minimal help, it can be carried out at distance using communication technologies. The acoustic analysis, may be based on mel-cepstral coefficients, distortion features as jitter, shimmer, harmonic-to-noise contents, or pitch-perturbation estimates, among others. Phonation biomechanical parameter and tremor estimates are also good markers of PD. The present work proposes a combination of biomechanical features to predict PD progress using Bayesian likelihood estimation. This methodology proves to be very sensitive and allows a three-band based comparison: pre-treatment versus post-treatment in reference to a control subject or a normative population. Results from a study are presented, including eight patients recorded on a 4-week separation interval, meanwhile they were treated with medication, physical exercising and speech therapy. The conclusions show that certain distortion, biomechanical and tremor features are of special relevance to monitor PD phonation, and that they can be used as evolution markers.

Analisis Istinbât? Hukum Akad Perkawinan melalui Media Elektronik dalam Perspektif Hukum Islam

Marriage is seen as a form worship which very sacred, at the present time, it has been the practice of marriages that use the facilities telephone or Cybernet, and also with the technology one step ahead, namely video teleconference. Where one party at a time doing this marriage ceremony, he was somewhere else that causes the marriage contract becomes ittih?âd al-majlis (merging chamber). With using a qualitative approach with Reserch Library obtained two different interpretations related to the ittih?âd al-majlis. The H?anafîyah interpret it ijâb-qabûl to be done within the time contained in the marriage ceremony, not be done in two separate intervals. So, when guided by the interpretation of this argument, marriage ceremony via electronic media can be understood validity. The Shâfi?îyah stated that the united chamber required, to maintain continuity between ijâb and qabûl, at once must embody fulfillment of tasks of two witnesses. Because according to this argument, the two witnesses should be capable see with his eyes that ijâb and qabûl it was actually spoken by two actors contract. So when referring to the second opinion, the practice of marriage ceremony via electronic media is not valid.