Non-obstacle design is critical to tailor physically handicapped workers in manufacturing system. Simultaneous consideration of variability in physically disabled users, machines and environment of the manufacturing s...Non-obstacle design is critical to tailor physically handicapped workers in manufacturing system. Simultaneous consideration of variability in physically disabled users, machines and environment of the manufacturing system is extremely complex and generally requires modeling of physically handicapped interaction with the system. Most current modeling either concentrates on the task results or functional disability. The integration of physical constraints with task constraints is far more complex because of functional disability and its extended influence on adjacent body parts. A framework is proposed to integrate the two constraints and thus model the specific behavior of the physical handicapped in virtual environment generated by product specifications. Within the framework a simplified model of physical disabled body is constructed, and body motion is generated based on 3 levels of constraints（effecter constraints, kinematics constraints and physical constraints）. The kinematics and dynamic calculations are made and optimized based on the weighting manipulated by the kinematics constraints and dynamic constraints. With object transferring task as example, the model is validated in Jack 6.0. Modelled task motion elements except for squatting and overreaching well matched with captured motion elements. The proposed modeling method can model the complex behavior of the physically handicapped by integrating both task and physical disability constraints.展开更多
Introduction: We undertook enhanced surveillance of the 2015 Kinokuni Wakayama National Sports Games (70th National Sports Games) and the Kinokuni Wakayama Handicapped Sports Games (15th National Handicapped Sports Ga...Introduction: We undertook enhanced surveillance of the 2015 Kinokuni Wakayama National Sports Games (70th National Sports Games) and the Kinokuni Wakayama Handicapped Sports Games (15th National Handicapped Sports Games) held in Wakayama prefecture in 2015, for which this paper presented operational details and an evaluation. Methods: Enhanced surveillance conducted involved (Nursery) School Absenteeism Surveillance system ((N)SASSy), Prescription Surveillance, and Ambulance Transfer Surveillance from 30 August through 9 November. We evaluated those surveillances on all days including weekends, integrated the results as a daily report, and published it on the web. Results: We found no cluster or cases requiring more tracing and investigation except for suspected cases of rubella in (N)SASSy. Moreover, no moderate aberration was found for two consecutive days for the same area and symptom. Conclusion: Our experience with this enhanced surveillance presents important lessons for countermeasures by local governments for mass gatherings or politically important events.展开更多
The negative impact of the term canji ren("handicapped person")has gradually come to be recognized.The terms canzhang ren("person with disabilities")and canji ren("handicapped person")hav...The negative impact of the term canji ren("handicapped person")has gradually come to be recognized.The terms canzhang ren("person with disabilities")and canji ren("handicapped person")have been used interchangeably in academia.However,such interchangeable use causes difficulties for both law enforcement and the judiciary,and also gives rise to public confusion.Based on the etymology of"disabled",its Chinese translation,and a survey of the three models of the concept of"disability",it is apparent that the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities adopts an"integrated definition"of disability.Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Disabled Persons defines handicapped person in much the same way as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,with only minor deviations.Hence,to replace the term handicapped person with persons with disabilities is both in line with relevant provisions of the Convention as well as the legislative intent of China’s"Law on the Protection of Disabled Persons".In addition,this benefits the elimination of social discrimination and prejudice,as well as expanding the scope of legal protection.展开更多
In the human rights discourse of China, the terminology used for canfei(handicapped) was changed to canji(persons with disabilities) and then canzhang(physically challenged), which has literally manifested the unfoldi...In the human rights discourse of China, the terminology used for canfei(handicapped) was changed to canji(persons with disabilities) and then canzhang(physically challenged), which has literally manifested the unfolding of the new philosophy for the physically challenged. In particular, the achievements of the China physically-challenged programs in the new era shows that at both institutional and mindset dimensions, it has stepped beyond the definition of canji and entered into the higher level featured by the term canzhang. As for the future practical strategies of the national physically-challenged programs, it is important to hold on the ideas of socialist humanism, and to explore the constitutional model and human rights model for physically-challenged rights protection. This is also the major clue to conclude the achievements of the two "30 years" physically-challenged programs since the establishment of the PRC. Countries worldwide, particularly developing countries, can draw experience from this China model of developing the programs and strategies of human rights-based governance. The Chinese experience and theories also can be shared by community with a shared future for human beings.展开更多
The handicapped, a special group in society, usually encounter many difficulties in employment, marriage, and daily life.Some difficulties are what they cannot conquer by themselves. It is also not easy for them to in...The handicapped, a special group in society, usually encounter many difficulties in employment, marriage, and daily life.Some difficulties are what they cannot conquer by themselves. It is also not easy for them to integrate into society. However, if there is a person who helps the hand- icapped find a job, build up confidence and make their life worth; if there is a person who helps them set up their families and incorporate in a harmonious community;展开更多
The Chinese government attaches much importance to the protection of the rights and interests of the handicapped people. In 2001, it started to implement the Outlined Program for the Development of the Handicapped for...The Chinese government attaches much importance to the protection of the rights and interests of the handicapped people. In 2001, it started to implement the Outlined Program for the Development of the Handicapped for 2001-2005. With the protection of the basic living and strengthening the grassroots handicapped people as the emphasis, the program sets the tasks and targets and main measures for the cause of the handicapped people during the tenth five-year plan period. In the meanwhile, the state has strengthened legal protection of the rights and interests of the handi-展开更多
At the foot of the Great Wall northwest of Beijing, there is a special prison, called Yanqing Prison. It is special, because it gathers all theimprisoned old, sick and handicapped offenders in the Beijing area for the...At the foot of the Great Wall northwest of Beijing, there is a special prison, called Yanqing Prison. It is special, because it gathers all theimprisoned old, sick and handicapped offenders in the Beijing area for the purpose of facilitating management.展开更多
Yuncheng is a city in the southwestern part of North China＇s Shanxi Province. It has a handicapped population of 223,000 or 4.5% of the total population of 4.985 million. The city has made big progress in protecting ...Yuncheng is a city in the southwestern part of North China＇s Shanxi Province. It has a handicapped population of 223,000 or 4.5% of the total population of 4.985 million. The city has made big progress in protecting the rights and interests of handicapped people since the handicapped associations were set up at the city and county levels.展开更多
Developmental instability(DI)is a phenomenon whereby organisms are unable to buffer developmental disturbances,resulting in asymmetricvariation of paired traits.Previous research has demonstrated a negative relationsh...Developmental instability(DI)is a phenomenon whereby organisms are unable to buffer developmental disturbances,resulting in asymmetricvariation of paired traits.Previous research has demonstrated a negative relationship between DI,measured as forearm asymmetry,and survivalin the bat Carollia perspicillata.This study aims to test the hypothesis that individuals with higher DI exhibit a lower immune response.We measured a delayed-type hypersensitivity to the antigen phytohemagglutinin(PHA)on 74 males and 65 females of C.perspicillata before and after thebreeding season(BS).Linear models were used to predict the immunological response based on body mass(BM),forearm asymmetry,sex,BS,and testicle length.The best-ftting model accounted for 29% of the variation in immune response and included asymmetry,BM,sex,and BS aspredictors.The immune response was negatively associated with asymmetry and testicle length in males but positively related to asymmetryin females.Both sexes showed a reduced immune response in the late BS.Additionally,the association between immune response and BMchanged direction seasonally,with heavier individuals showing weaker responses early in the BS and stronger responses later.Individual variation in male immunity was predicted by individual attributes,whereas variation in immune response in females was mostly seasonal.Our resultssupport the link between DI,survival,and immune response in short-tailed bats,and suggest that the immunological component measured bythe PHA response may be under fner selection in males due to its stronger correlation with individual traits.展开更多
The authors regret that the declaration of Acknowledgement as below is missing in the paper:AcknowledgementWe are grateful to the Department of Biology and Postgraduate Sciences-Biology of the Universidad del Valle,Ca...The authors regret that the declaration of Acknowledgement as below is missing in the paper:AcknowledgementWe are grateful to the Department of Biology and Postgraduate Sciences-Biology of the Universidad del Valle,Cali-Colombia for their support of the project;to Wilmar Torres MSc.for his statistical advice;to the biologist Helen Burnham MSc.for the translation of the document;to Isabel Castro and all the members of the Ornithology and Animal Behaviour Laboratory-OYCA of Universidad del Valle for their invaluable support in the field.We sincerely thank the anonymous re-viewers for their invaluable feedback and contributions to our manuscript.展开更多
Tinnitus is a heterogeneous hearing disorder with no cure at present,but some treatments,such as a combination of counselling and sound therapy,can alleviate the discomfort it causes.The sound therapy efficiency depen...Tinnitus is a heterogeneous hearing disorder with no cure at present,but some treatments,such as a combination of counselling and sound therapy,can alleviate the discomfort it causes.The sound therapy efficiency depends on both the type of sound stimulus and the time of exposure.This study describes the fundamentals of a personalized sound therapy that stimulates the auditory system with either continuous or sequential sounds whose spectra are adjusted to the hearing levels of the participants.This sound therapy is called Enriched Acoustic Environment and is assessed in a sample of 137 participants with tinnitus.Tinnitus-related distress relief was clinically relevant and statistically significant for 90%of these patients.This was quantified as a mean decrease of 24.3 points on the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory.31%of participants were treated with sequential stimuli and achieved greater relief of distress(29.4 points on their Tinnitus Handicap Inventory score)compared to those treated with continuous sound(69%).According to these results,sequential sound seems to be optimal compared to continuous sound.展开更多
In order to assist physically handicapped persons in their movements,we developed an embedded isolated word speech recognition system(ASR)applied to voice control of smart wheelchairs.However,in spite of the existence...In order to assist physically handicapped persons in their movements,we developed an embedded isolated word speech recognition system(ASR)applied to voice control of smart wheelchairs.However,in spite of the existence in the industrial market of several kinds of electric wheelchairs,the problem remains the need to manually control this device by hand via joystick;which limits their use especially by people with severe disabilities.Thus,a significant number of disabled people cannot use a standard electric wheelchair or drive it with difficulty.The proposed solution is to use the voice to control and drive the wheelchair instead of classical joysticks.The intelligent chair is equipped with an obstacle detection system consisting of ultrasonic sensors,a moving navigation algorithm and a speech acquisition and recognition module for voice control embedded in a DSP card.The ASR architecture consists of two main modules.The first one is the speech parameterization module(features extraction)and the second module is the classifier which identifies the speech and generates the control word to motors power unit.The training and recognition phases are based on Hidden Markov Models(HMM),K-means,Baum-Welch and Viterbi algorithms.The database consists of 39 isolated speaker words(13 words pronounced 3 times under different environments and conditions).The simulations are tested under Matlab environment and the real-time implementation is performed by C language with code composer studio embedded in a TMS 320 C6416 DSP kit.The results and experiments obtained gave promising recognition ratio and accuracy around 99%in clean environment.However,the system accuracy decreases considerably in noisy environments,especially for SNR values below 5 dB(in street:78%,in factory:52%).展开更多
Disability can occur to anyone and anyone can have difficulties in fulfilling daily activities in a certain part of their lives. Accessibility is a crucial matter and a basic human right for the disabled people in ord...Disability can occur to anyone and anyone can have difficulties in fulfilling daily activities in a certain part of their lives. Accessibility is a crucial matter and a basic human right for the disabled people in order to join the urban life. For this reason, the physical environment must be set, starting with the planning and design stage, in a form that can satisfy the utility and accessibility requirements of disabled people. One of the most important recent concepts to enable accessible and useful spaces for the disabled is the ＂universal design＂. Nowadays, even though there is an increase in the number of scientific publications, meetings and decisions taken, the regulatory process on our current living environment is developing slowly regarding the physical accessibility. At this point, the most important role regarding the handling of social and political paradigms of disability, addressing different users, application of the principals of universal design and creating knowledge in order to increase social awareness belongs to the departments of universities that offer design courses. The subject of the study in this context is to determine the contents and the proportion of the courses （compulsory and elective） related to ＂universal design and ＂disability design＂, which will ensure our living environment to be accessible and independently utilized for everyone, in the course plan of the architecture, interior architecture, urban planning and landscape architecture departments in Turkey.展开更多
Vertebral artery orifice stenting may improve blood supply of the posterior circulation of the brain to regions such as the cerebellum and brainstem. However, previous studies have mainly focused on recovery of cerebr...Vertebral artery orifice stenting may improve blood supply of the posterior circulation of the brain to regions such as the cerebellum and brainstem. However, previous studies have mainly focused on recovery of cerebral blood flow and perfusion in the posterior circulation after interventional therapy. This study examined the effects of functional recovery of local brain tissue on cerebellar function remodeling using blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic reso- nance imaging before and after interventional therapy. A total of 40 Chinese patients with severe unilateral vertebral artery orifice stenosis were enrolled in this study. Patients were equally and randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The control group received drug treat- ment only. The intervention group received vertebral artery orifice angioplasty and stenting ＋ identical drug treatment to the control group. At 13 days after treatment, the Dizziness Handicap Inventory score was compared between the intervention and control groups. Cerebellar function remodeling was observed between the two groups using blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging. The improvement in dizziness handicap and cerebellar function was more obvious in the intervention group than in the control group. Interventional therapy for severe vertebral artery orifice stenosis may effectively promote cerebellar function remodeling and exert neuroprotective effects.展开更多
Objective(s): The cutting-edge assessment of voice disorders includes objective and subjective methods in the daily clinical practice. The latter assessment is usually performed through the administration of self-repo...Objective(s): The cutting-edge assessment of voice disorders includes objective and subjective methods in the daily clinical practice. The latter assessment is usually performed through the administration of self-reported questionnaires. Voice Handicap Index (VHI) is one of the most widely used tools both in clinical practice and in research level. This tool-questionnaire was employed in this research along with the Voice Evaluation Template (VEF). In turn, the aim of this study was to analyse and produce the cut-off points of VHI for voice-disordered patients in Greece by using Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves (ROC Curves). Methods: Sixty-three participants (40 non-dysphonic and 23 with different types of dysphonia) were classified by ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) doctors and SLPs (Speech-Language Pathologists). The Hellenic VHI along with the translated Greek version of the VEF was administered to the subjects of this research. Results: The voice-disordered subjects exhibited higher overall VHI scores (in total and in its 3 subdomains) compared to the control group. Statistical significant differences were found between dysphonic and non-dysphonic participants for all VHI’s construct domains. The cut-off point of VHI total score was estimated at the value of 14.50 (sensitivity: 0.870, 1-specificity: 0.000). Moreover, the cut-off points of the three subdomains were computed as 7.50 for functional (sensitivity: 0.783, 1-specificity: 0.000), 8.50 for physical (sensitivity: 0.739, 1-specificity: 0.000) and 8.50 for emotional domain (sensitivity: 0.783, 1-specificity: 0.050). Conclusion: The preliminary statistical and ROC data analysis of VHI concluded that by using this type of assessment method, populations with or without voice disorders (in Greece) can be distinguished. Albeit this tool is a non-interventional method it could consequently offer an adequate screening and monitoring capability.展开更多
Androgen-dependent male sexual traits （STs） as well as immunocompetence are theoreticallyassumed to be key indicators of a male＇s quality for the mate-choosing female. We studied matechoice by sexually motivated ...Androgen-dependent male sexual traits （STs） as well as immunocompetence are theoreticallyassumed to be key indicators of a male＇s quality for the mate-choosing female. We studied matechoice by sexually motivated （SM） females of Campbell＇s dwarf hamsters. Females chose between2 tethered male siblings that differed in expression of STs. Males were unrelated to the female andable to contact and copulate with her. In both males, we measured sex-related morphology ofbody mass, mid-ventral specific skin gland, ano-genital distance, and external testicular diameter.We also estimated levels of blood testosterone and cortisol, specific T- and B-cell immune re-sponses to antigens, as well as aggressive and sexual dominance in sibling males through add-itional encounter experiments with another SM female （male sibs could freely compete for thefemale）. We found that SM females chose a partner among 2 male sibs and spent over 80% of theirtime on average with the preferred male compared with the non-preferred one. Her choice was notassociated with the first visit of the chosen male, with a higher expression of sex-related traits,higher levels of blood testosterone, or with aggressive dominance. The choice was not associatedwith the intensity of T-cell immune response to phitohemagglutinin （PHA）. Instead there was a ten-dency for a negative relationship with the expression of STs and B-cell response to the antigenchallenge. The only character that unambiguously influenced female choice was the non-aggressive male to female grooming during sexual contact. There was no difference in breedingsuccess between preferred and non-preferred males paired with virgin females.展开更多
BACKGROUND： Learning and memory damage is one of the most permanent and the severest symptoms of traumatic brain injury; it can seriously influence the normal life and work of patients. Some research has demonstrated...BACKGROUND： Learning and memory damage is one of the most permanent and the severest symptoms of traumatic brain injury; it can seriously influence the normal life and work of patients. Some research has demonstrated that cognitive disorder is closely related to nicotine cholinergic receptors, N-methyl-D aspartate receptors, neural cell adhesion molecule, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. OBJECTIVE： To summarize the cognitive disorder and changes in nicotine cholinergic receptors, N-methyl-D aspartate receptors, neural cell adhesion molecule, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor following brain injury. RETRIEVAL STRATEGY： A computer-based online search was conducted in PUBMED for English language publications containing the key words ＂brain injured, cognitive handicap, acetylcholine, N-methyl-D aspartate receptors, neural cell adhesion molecule, brain-derived neurotrophic factor＂ from January 2000 to December 2007. There were 44 papers in total. Inclusion criteria： ① articles about changes in nicotine cholinergic receptors, N-methyl-D aspartate receptors, neural cell adhesion molecule, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor following brain injury; ② articles in the same researching circle published in authoritative journals or recently published. Exclusion criteria： duplicated articles. LITERATURE EVALUATION： References were mainly derived from research on changes in these four factors following brain injury. The 20 included papers were clinical or basic experimental studies. DATA SYNTHESIS： After craniocerebral injury, changes in these four factors in brain were similar to those during recovery from cognitive disorder, to a certain degree. Some data have indicated that activation of nicotine cholinergic receptors, N-methyl-D aspartate receptors, neural cell adhesion molecule, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor could greatly improve cognitive disorder following brain injury. However, there are still a lot of questions remaining; for example, how do these factors change at different time points after brain injury, and what is the relationship between associated factors and cognitive disorder. CONCLUSION： It is necessary to comprehensively study some associated factors, to analyze their changes and their relationship with cognitive disorder following brain injury, and to investigate their effects at different time points after brain injury.展开更多
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No. 60975058)
文摘Non-obstacle design is critical to tailor physically handicapped workers in manufacturing system. Simultaneous consideration of variability in physically disabled users, machines and environment of the manufacturing system is extremely complex and generally requires modeling of physically handicapped interaction with the system. Most current modeling either concentrates on the task results or functional disability. The integration of physical constraints with task constraints is far more complex because of functional disability and its extended influence on adjacent body parts. A framework is proposed to integrate the two constraints and thus model the specific behavior of the physical handicapped in virtual environment generated by product specifications. Within the framework a simplified model of physical disabled body is constructed, and body motion is generated based on 3 levels of constraints（effecter constraints, kinematics constraints and physical constraints）. The kinematics and dynamic calculations are made and optimized based on the weighting manipulated by the kinematics constraints and dynamic constraints. With object transferring task as example, the model is validated in Jack 6.0. Modelled task motion elements except for squatting and overreaching well matched with captured motion elements. The proposed modeling method can model the complex behavior of the physically handicapped by integrating both task and physical disability constraints.
文摘Introduction: We undertook enhanced surveillance of the 2015 Kinokuni Wakayama National Sports Games (70th National Sports Games) and the Kinokuni Wakayama Handicapped Sports Games (15th National Handicapped Sports Games) held in Wakayama prefecture in 2015, for which this paper presented operational details and an evaluation. Methods: Enhanced surveillance conducted involved (Nursery) School Absenteeism Surveillance system ((N)SASSy), Prescription Surveillance, and Ambulance Transfer Surveillance from 30 August through 9 November. We evaluated those surveillances on all days including weekends, integrated the results as a daily report, and published it on the web. Results: We found no cluster or cases requiring more tracing and investigation except for suspected cases of rubella in (N)SASSy. Moreover, no moderate aberration was found for two consecutive days for the same area and symptom. Conclusion: Our experience with this enhanced surveillance presents important lessons for countermeasures by local governments for mass gatherings or politically important events.
基金one of the phased achievements of“Research on the Design and Policy Intervention Mechanism of the Protection System for Persons with Disabilities’Right to Education in Western Rural Areas”,a fund of the Ministry of Education in 2016 to support young scholars in humanities and social sciences(16YJC880049).
文摘The negative impact of the term canji ren("handicapped person")has gradually come to be recognized.The terms canzhang ren("person with disabilities")and canji ren("handicapped person")have been used interchangeably in academia.However,such interchangeable use causes difficulties for both law enforcement and the judiciary,and also gives rise to public confusion.Based on the etymology of"disabled",its Chinese translation,and a survey of the three models of the concept of"disability",it is apparent that the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities adopts an"integrated definition"of disability.Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Disabled Persons defines handicapped person in much the same way as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,with only minor deviations.Hence,to replace the term handicapped person with persons with disabilities is both in line with relevant provisions of the Convention as well as the legislative intent of China’s"Law on the Protection of Disabled Persons".In addition,this benefits the elimination of social discrimination and prejudice,as well as expanding the scope of legal protection.
基金the phased research achievement of the project of “Latest western Theories and practice of Human Rights Law and China’s Innovation in Human Rights Law”(project number:15JJd820023)of the Humanities and Social Sciences Key Research base(National Human Rights Education and Training base)under the Ministry of Educationministerial project “Research on the Institutions for the Equal Judicial Justice for the physically Challenged”(project No.CLS(2016)d04)of the China Law Society
文摘In the human rights discourse of China, the terminology used for canfei(handicapped) was changed to canji(persons with disabilities) and then canzhang(physically challenged), which has literally manifested the unfolding of the new philosophy for the physically challenged. In particular, the achievements of the China physically-challenged programs in the new era shows that at both institutional and mindset dimensions, it has stepped beyond the definition of canji and entered into the higher level featured by the term canzhang. As for the future practical strategies of the national physically-challenged programs, it is important to hold on the ideas of socialist humanism, and to explore the constitutional model and human rights model for physically-challenged rights protection. This is also the major clue to conclude the achievements of the two "30 years" physically-challenged programs since the establishment of the PRC. Countries worldwide, particularly developing countries, can draw experience from this China model of developing the programs and strategies of human rights-based governance. The Chinese experience and theories also can be shared by community with a shared future for human beings.
文摘The handicapped, a special group in society, usually encounter many difficulties in employment, marriage, and daily life.Some difficulties are what they cannot conquer by themselves. It is also not easy for them to integrate into society. However, if there is a person who helps the hand- icapped find a job, build up confidence and make their life worth; if there is a person who helps them set up their families and incorporate in a harmonious community;
文摘The Chinese government attaches much importance to the protection of the rights and interests of the handicapped people. In 2001, it started to implement the Outlined Program for the Development of the Handicapped for 2001-2005. With the protection of the basic living and strengthening the grassroots handicapped people as the emphasis, the program sets the tasks and targets and main measures for the cause of the handicapped people during the tenth five-year plan period. In the meanwhile, the state has strengthened legal protection of the rights and interests of the handi-
文摘At the foot of the Great Wall northwest of Beijing, there is a special prison, called Yanqing Prison. It is special, because it gathers all theimprisoned old, sick and handicapped offenders in the Beijing area for the purpose of facilitating management.
文摘Yuncheng is a city in the southwestern part of North China＇s Shanxi Province. It has a handicapped population of 223,000 or 4.5% of the total population of 4.985 million. The city has made big progress in protecting the rights and interests of handicapped people since the handicapped associations were set up at the city and county levels.
基金supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifco e Tecnologico(CNPq),Fundacaode Amparoa Pesquisa do Rio de Janeiro(FAPERJ),Fundacaode Amparoa Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo(FAPESPGrant nº2014/16/320-7)Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamentode Pessoal de Nível Superior(CAPES)-Finance Code 001+1 种基金by grants to LGHM and APCN from the Visiting Research Program of the FAPESP(nº2017-17607-6)supported by the PASPA-DGAPA program of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico(nº814-2018).
文摘Developmental instability(DI)is a phenomenon whereby organisms are unable to buffer developmental disturbances,resulting in asymmetricvariation of paired traits.Previous research has demonstrated a negative relationship between DI,measured as forearm asymmetry,and survivalin the bat Carollia perspicillata.This study aims to test the hypothesis that individuals with higher DI exhibit a lower immune response.We measured a delayed-type hypersensitivity to the antigen phytohemagglutinin(PHA)on 74 males and 65 females of C.perspicillata before and after thebreeding season(BS).Linear models were used to predict the immunological response based on body mass(BM),forearm asymmetry,sex,BS,and testicle length.The best-ftting model accounted for 29% of the variation in immune response and included asymmetry,BM,sex,and BS aspredictors.The immune response was negatively associated with asymmetry and testicle length in males but positively related to asymmetryin females.Both sexes showed a reduced immune response in the late BS.Additionally,the association between immune response and BMchanged direction seasonally,with heavier individuals showing weaker responses early in the BS and stronger responses later.Individual variation in male immunity was predicted by individual attributes,whereas variation in immune response in females was mostly seasonal.Our resultssupport the link between DI,survival,and immune response in short-tailed bats,and suggest that the immunological component measured bythe PHA response may be under fner selection in males due to its stronger correlation with individual traits.
文摘The authors regret that the declaration of Acknowledgement as below is missing in the paper:AcknowledgementWe are grateful to the Department of Biology and Postgraduate Sciences-Biology of the Universidad del Valle,Cali-Colombia for their support of the project;to Wilmar Torres MSc.for his statistical advice;to the biologist Helen Burnham MSc.for the translation of the document;to Isabel Castro and all the members of the Ornithology and Animal Behaviour Laboratory-OYCA of Universidad del Valle for their invaluable support in the field.We sincerely thank the anonymous re-viewers for their invaluable feedback and contributions to our manuscript.
文摘Tinnitus is a heterogeneous hearing disorder with no cure at present,but some treatments,such as a combination of counselling and sound therapy,can alleviate the discomfort it causes.The sound therapy efficiency depends on both the type of sound stimulus and the time of exposure.This study describes the fundamentals of a personalized sound therapy that stimulates the auditory system with either continuous or sequential sounds whose spectra are adjusted to the hearing levels of the participants.This sound therapy is called Enriched Acoustic Environment and is assessed in a sample of 137 participants with tinnitus.Tinnitus-related distress relief was clinically relevant and statistically significant for 90%of these patients.This was quantified as a mean decrease of 24.3 points on the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory.31%of participants were treated with sequential stimuli and achieved greater relief of distress(29.4 points on their Tinnitus Handicap Inventory score)compared to those treated with continuous sound(69%).According to these results,sequential sound seems to be optimal compared to continuous sound.
文摘In order to assist physically handicapped persons in their movements,we developed an embedded isolated word speech recognition system(ASR)applied to voice control of smart wheelchairs.However,in spite of the existence in the industrial market of several kinds of electric wheelchairs,the problem remains the need to manually control this device by hand via joystick;which limits their use especially by people with severe disabilities.Thus,a significant number of disabled people cannot use a standard electric wheelchair or drive it with difficulty.The proposed solution is to use the voice to control and drive the wheelchair instead of classical joysticks.The intelligent chair is equipped with an obstacle detection system consisting of ultrasonic sensors,a moving navigation algorithm and a speech acquisition and recognition module for voice control embedded in a DSP card.The ASR architecture consists of two main modules.The first one is the speech parameterization module(features extraction)and the second module is the classifier which identifies the speech and generates the control word to motors power unit.The training and recognition phases are based on Hidden Markov Models(HMM),K-means,Baum-Welch and Viterbi algorithms.The database consists of 39 isolated speaker words(13 words pronounced 3 times under different environments and conditions).The simulations are tested under Matlab environment and the real-time implementation is performed by C language with code composer studio embedded in a TMS 320 C6416 DSP kit.The results and experiments obtained gave promising recognition ratio and accuracy around 99%in clean environment.However,the system accuracy decreases considerably in noisy environments,especially for SNR values below 5 dB(in street:78%,in factory:52%).
文摘Disability can occur to anyone and anyone can have difficulties in fulfilling daily activities in a certain part of their lives. Accessibility is a crucial matter and a basic human right for the disabled people in order to join the urban life. For this reason, the physical environment must be set, starting with the planning and design stage, in a form that can satisfy the utility and accessibility requirements of disabled people. One of the most important recent concepts to enable accessible and useful spaces for the disabled is the ＂universal design＂. Nowadays, even though there is an increase in the number of scientific publications, meetings and decisions taken, the regulatory process on our current living environment is developing slowly regarding the physical accessibility. At this point, the most important role regarding the handling of social and political paradigms of disability, addressing different users, application of the principals of universal design and creating knowledge in order to increase social awareness belongs to the departments of universities that offer design courses. The subject of the study in this context is to determine the contents and the proportion of the courses （compulsory and elective） related to ＂universal design and ＂disability design＂, which will ensure our living environment to be accessible and independently utilized for everyone, in the course plan of the architecture, interior architecture, urban planning and landscape architecture departments in Turkey.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Yongchuan District of Chongqing in China,No.Ycstc,2013nc8031the Foundation of Chongqing Municipal Health Bureau in China,No.2010-2-250+1 种基金the Foundation of Chongqing Health and Family Planning Commission in China,No.20143001the Soft Science Foundation of Yongchuan District of Chongqing in China,No.Ycstc,2011BE5004
文摘Vertebral artery orifice stenting may improve blood supply of the posterior circulation of the brain to regions such as the cerebellum and brainstem. However, previous studies have mainly focused on recovery of cerebral blood flow and perfusion in the posterior circulation after interventional therapy. This study examined the effects of functional recovery of local brain tissue on cerebellar function remodeling using blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic reso- nance imaging before and after interventional therapy. A total of 40 Chinese patients with severe unilateral vertebral artery orifice stenosis were enrolled in this study. Patients were equally and randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The control group received drug treat- ment only. The intervention group received vertebral artery orifice angioplasty and stenting ＋ identical drug treatment to the control group. At 13 days after treatment, the Dizziness Handicap Inventory score was compared between the intervention and control groups. Cerebellar function remodeling was observed between the two groups using blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging. The improvement in dizziness handicap and cerebellar function was more obvious in the intervention group than in the control group. Interventional therapy for severe vertebral artery orifice stenosis may effectively promote cerebellar function remodeling and exert neuroprotective effects.
文摘Objective(s): The cutting-edge assessment of voice disorders includes objective and subjective methods in the daily clinical practice. The latter assessment is usually performed through the administration of self-reported questionnaires. Voice Handicap Index (VHI) is one of the most widely used tools both in clinical practice and in research level. This tool-questionnaire was employed in this research along with the Voice Evaluation Template (VEF). In turn, the aim of this study was to analyse and produce the cut-off points of VHI for voice-disordered patients in Greece by using Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves (ROC Curves). Methods: Sixty-three participants (40 non-dysphonic and 23 with different types of dysphonia) were classified by ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) doctors and SLPs (Speech-Language Pathologists). The Hellenic VHI along with the translated Greek version of the VEF was administered to the subjects of this research. Results: The voice-disordered subjects exhibited higher overall VHI scores (in total and in its 3 subdomains) compared to the control group. Statistical significant differences were found between dysphonic and non-dysphonic participants for all VHI’s construct domains. The cut-off point of VHI total score was estimated at the value of 14.50 (sensitivity: 0.870, 1-specificity: 0.000). Moreover, the cut-off points of the three subdomains were computed as 7.50 for functional (sensitivity: 0.783, 1-specificity: 0.000), 8.50 for physical (sensitivity: 0.739, 1-specificity: 0.000) and 8.50 for emotional domain (sensitivity: 0.783, 1-specificity: 0.050). Conclusion: The preliminary statistical and ROC data analysis of VHI concluded that by using this type of assessment method, populations with or without voice disorders (in Greece) can be distinguished. Albeit this tool is a non-interventional method it could consequently offer an adequate screening and monitoring capability.
文摘Androgen-dependent male sexual traits （STs） as well as immunocompetence are theoreticallyassumed to be key indicators of a male＇s quality for the mate-choosing female. We studied matechoice by sexually motivated （SM） females of Campbell＇s dwarf hamsters. Females chose between2 tethered male siblings that differed in expression of STs. Males were unrelated to the female andable to contact and copulate with her. In both males, we measured sex-related morphology ofbody mass, mid-ventral specific skin gland, ano-genital distance, and external testicular diameter.We also estimated levels of blood testosterone and cortisol, specific T- and B-cell immune re-sponses to antigens, as well as aggressive and sexual dominance in sibling males through add-itional encounter experiments with another SM female （male sibs could freely compete for thefemale）. We found that SM females chose a partner among 2 male sibs and spent over 80% of theirtime on average with the preferred male compared with the non-preferred one. Her choice was notassociated with the first visit of the chosen male, with a higher expression of sex-related traits,higher levels of blood testosterone, or with aggressive dominance. The choice was not associatedwith the intensity of T-cell immune response to phitohemagglutinin （PHA）. Instead there was a ten-dency for a negative relationship with the expression of STs and B-cell response to the antigenchallenge. The only character that unambiguously influenced female choice was the non-aggressive male to female grooming during sexual contact. There was no difference in breedingsuccess between preferred and non-preferred males paired with virgin females.
基金the grantsfrom Fujian Science and Technology Bureau, No.2006Y0012
文摘BACKGROUND： Learning and memory damage is one of the most permanent and the severest symptoms of traumatic brain injury; it can seriously influence the normal life and work of patients. Some research has demonstrated that cognitive disorder is closely related to nicotine cholinergic receptors, N-methyl-D aspartate receptors, neural cell adhesion molecule, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. OBJECTIVE： To summarize the cognitive disorder and changes in nicotine cholinergic receptors, N-methyl-D aspartate receptors, neural cell adhesion molecule, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor following brain injury. RETRIEVAL STRATEGY： A computer-based online search was conducted in PUBMED for English language publications containing the key words ＂brain injured, cognitive handicap, acetylcholine, N-methyl-D aspartate receptors, neural cell adhesion molecule, brain-derived neurotrophic factor＂ from January 2000 to December 2007. There were 44 papers in total. Inclusion criteria： ① articles about changes in nicotine cholinergic receptors, N-methyl-D aspartate receptors, neural cell adhesion molecule, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor following brain injury; ② articles in the same researching circle published in authoritative journals or recently published. Exclusion criteria： duplicated articles. LITERATURE EVALUATION： References were mainly derived from research on changes in these four factors following brain injury. The 20 included papers were clinical or basic experimental studies. DATA SYNTHESIS： After craniocerebral injury, changes in these four factors in brain were similar to those during recovery from cognitive disorder, to a certain degree. Some data have indicated that activation of nicotine cholinergic receptors, N-methyl-D aspartate receptors, neural cell adhesion molecule, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor could greatly improve cognitive disorder following brain injury. However, there are still a lot of questions remaining; for example, how do these factors change at different time points after brain injury, and what is the relationship between associated factors and cognitive disorder. CONCLUSION： It is necessary to comprehensively study some associated factors, to analyze their changes and their relationship with cognitive disorder following brain injury, and to investigate their effects at different time points after brain injury.
