This paper presents some analyses and experiments on vocalizing mechanics in vocal chord due to the breathing flow, and their wide range of frequency change by varing the interior muscle activations. Three dimensional dynamic response of the hyperelastic and finite deformation body of the vocal chord and the interior muscles have been analysed at first and the exclusive FEM system has been developed. The eigen frequencies and vibration characteristics of the vocal chord are analysed by varing the activation level of the interior muscles. The Helmholtz equation of the breathing flow under transient state has been analysed to obtain the pressure pulsation characteristics behind the vocal chord during vocalizing of the source voice. Combining both approaches stated aboves, the mechanics of the self-exciting vibration of the vocal chord have been studied in detail using the root-locus approach. It is also found in the analysis and experiments that the frequency of the self-exciting vibration can be widely varied with the activation level of the interior muscle of the vocal chord, giving rise to a variety of frequency level of the source voice.
The continuation rates of pharmacotherapy in schizophrenia exhibit variability, a phenomenon influenced by the specific antipsychotic agent prescribed and patient-related factors such as age and duration of illness. In this context, our study aims to elucidate the predictors of medication continuation for asenapine sublingual tablets, characterized by unique formulation properties. Our investigation leveraged real-world data collected through post-marketing surveillance in Japan, comprising 3236 cases. Utilizing multivariate logistic regression analysis, we identified patient-related factors associated with medication continuation as the primary outcome measure, subsequently employing survival analysis for further evaluation. Additionally, adverse event occurrence was assessed as a secondary outcome measure. Multivariate logistic regression analysis unveiled significant predictors of asenapine continuation, notably including patient-related factors such as a chlorpromazine equivalent dose exceeding 600 mg/day and an illness duration of 25 years or more. While the overall continuation rate stood at 40.6%, patients exhibiting factors such as a chlorpromazine equivalent dose surpassing 600 mg/day or an illness duration exceeding 25 years demonstrated continuation rates of 46.3% and 47.9%, respectively. Remarkably, patients presenting both factors showcased the highest continuation rate at 52.5%. Our findings shed light on distinct patient-related predictors of asenapine continuation, deviating from those observed with other antipsychotic medications. This underscores the necessity of recognizing that predictive factors for antipsychotic medication continuation vary across different agents. Moving forward, elucidating these predictive factors for various antipsychotic medications holds paramount importance in schizophrenia treatment, facilitating the delivery of tailored therapeutic interventions for individual patients.
Various devices driven and supported by air jet were tested for a high speed open-end spinning frame. Two types of rotors were prepared: the upper fluting rotor and the under fluting rotor. Each rotor was driven by air jet running against the fluting directly from the nozzles drilled on the inner surface of a stator. The rotor was supported by the dynamic pressure of air. A series of tests were made by changing conical angles, number and angle of the flutings, and driving air pressure. The results were as follows.(1) The rotor speed increases with increasing the air pressure. (2) When the stator conical angle is 92°, the optimum rotor conical angle is 108° for the upper fluting, and 102° for the under fluting. (3) The suitable number of flutings is about 40 for the upper fluting, and 20 for the under fluting. (4) The angle of flutings exerts influence considerably on the driving torque, and the most suitable angle is 45° for the upper fluting, and 25° for the under fluting.
In this paper, we generalize the product defined by Hardie and Jansen in [3]. The generalized product gives a pairing [·, ·] W Γ : [ΓX ∧ W, Z] × [ΓY ∧ W, Z] → [Γ(X ∧ Y) ∧ W, Z]. When Γ = S 1, X = S m−1 and Y = S n−1, it is the product of Hardie and Jansen. We study properties of it such as bilinearity, Jacobi identity and some formulas in [4]. Furthermore, we consider the dual product and investigate various properties corresponding under the principle of Eckmann-Hilton duality.
Sevoflurane is the most commonly used inhaled anaesthetic in electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The objective of this study was to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive review on how the use of sevoflurane affects seizure adequacy (seizure duration and postictal suppression index [PSI]) and circulatory dynamics in ECT. We performed a meta-analysis of RCTs that investigated seizure adequacy and circulatory dynamics in patients treated with ECT using sevoflurane (sevoflurane group) and intravenous anaesthetics (non-sevoflurane group). A total of 12 RCTs (377 patients and 1339 ECT sessions) were included. Sevoflurane significantly decreased the electroencephalogram (EEG) seizure durations in comparison with intravenous anaesthetics, whereas no significant difference was observed in PSI (EEG: 9 studies, standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -1.11 to -0.38, p = 0.0002; PSI: 4 studies, SMD = -0.06, CI -0.13 to 0.25, p = 0.59). The use of sevoflurane in ECT significantly increased heart rate (HR) compared with intravenous anaesthetics (9 studies, SMD = 0.31, CI 012-0.51, p = 0.004). In the pre-planned subgroup analysis, sevoflurane significantly reduced seizure duration compared with other types of anaesthetics, including propofol, barbiturates and ketamine. Furthermore, it was found that the risk of adverse events in ECT with sevoflurane were not significantly different from intravenous anaesthetics (6 studies, risk ratio = 1.33, CI 0.95-1.86, p = 0.09), with agitaion being the most common adverse effects. The results of our study suggest that using sevoflurane for ECT significantly reduces seizure duration, increases maximum HR and brings about no difference in the adverse event risk compared with those using intravenous anaesthetics for ECT. Therefore, there may not be compelling evidence favouring sevoflurane use for ECT, except in cases where intravenous access is difficult.
To develop a suitable automobile design as per each driver's characteristics and state, it is important to understand the brain function in acquiring driving skills. Reportedly, the brain structures of professionals, such as athletes and musicians, and those who have received training in special skills, undergo changes with training. However, the development process of the brain in terms of acquiring driving skills has not yet been clarified. In this study, we evaluated the effects of driving training on the brain and observed an increase in the volume of the right cerebellum after short-term training (3 days). The right cerebellum is responsible for controlling the right hand and right foot, which are important for driving. Drivers train to control a vehicle smoothly at high speeds at gymkhana and pylon slalom courses, which are often used in motor sports. The brain structure was analyzed before and after training using magnetic resonance imaging. Voxel-based morphometry was used to assess possible structural changes. First, the lap times after training were clearly shortened and vehicle dynamics were more stable, indicating that the drivers' skill level clearly improved. Second, brain structural analysis revealed a volumetric increase in the right cerebellum. The cerebellum is involved in the process of learning sensory motor skills, such as smooth steering and pedal operations, driving course shape, and vehicle size perception. These results suggest a new inner model for driving operation and support the hypothesis that motor learning affects the cerebellum during vehicle driving training.
