We determined burrow temperature variation for the Chinese pangolin in winter over a study period from 1 December 2009 to 28 February 2010, at Luofushan Nature Reserve, China. Our results show that the air temperature inside the burrow was stable with only a slight fluctuation, the diurnal variation amplitude was merely 0.0-0.5 °C (SD = 0.08 ± 0.09 °C, n = 90), and winter temperature fluctuated between 17.8-21.0 °C. On the contrary, air temperature outside the burrow fluctuated dramatically, the diurnal variation
amplitude ranging from 0.7-20.0 °C (SD = 4.99 ± 3.47 °C, n = 90); the seasonal temperature fluctuated between 4.6-38.3 °C. In winter,
the average temperature inside the burrow was 18.96 °C (SD = 0.91, n = 90), and significantly higher than the average temperature
outside the burrow (p < 0.01), which was 15.16 °C (SD = 3.85, n = 90). No significant relationship was found between the temperatures inside and outside the burrow, and the temperature changes outside the burrow had almost no significant influence on thermal conditions inside the burrow. It was therefore proposed that the most optimum ambient temperature for Chinese pangolins in winter was in the range of 18-21 °C.
Corpus contains recordings of communication between air traffic controllers and pilots. The speech is manually transcribed and labeled with the information about the speaker (pilot/controller, not the full identity of the person). The corpus is currently small (20 hours) but we plan to search for additional data next year. The audio data format is: 8kHz, 16bit PCM, mono. and Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, project No. TA01030476.
The study investigates differences between three most widely used methods in voice training and therapy: Phonation into a resonance tube with the outer end in the air or submerged 2-10 cm in water (‘water resistance therapy‘ with bubbling effect), and phonation into a very thin straw. One female speech trainer served as subejct. Acoustic and electroglottographic (EGG) signals, and both mean and dynamic air pressures in the mouth cavity were registered for repetitions of [pu:pu], and for phonation into the tubes, while the outer end was randomly shuttered in order to get an estimate of subglottic pressure. Soft and normal phonations were recorded. Phonation threshold decreased with tube in air, suggesting that increased input reactance assists small amplitude oscillation of the vocal folds. Oral pressure (Poral) increased with increasing impedance offered by the tube and straw, most when the tube was 10 cm in water. In most cases subglottic pressure (Psub) increased relatively more than Poral, so that tranglottic pressure (Ptrans) was higher in the exercises compared to vowel. Contact quotient (CQ) from EGG increased, which may be due to increased Ptrans. In tube 10 cm in water Ptrans decreased and CQ increased suggesting increased adduction as compensation. Exercises that increase oral eir-pressure offer a possibility to train flottal and respiratory adjustments under the influence of increased flow resistance which may prevent excessively strong vocal fold collisions. and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The contribution aims to provide material that can be used in development of more realistic physical as well as theoretical models of voice production. The experimental set-up methodology and the results of measurement of airflow rate, subglottal, oral and generated acoustic air pressures are presented together with the simultaneously measured flow-induced vibrations of a vocal folds replica, made of soft silicon rubber, and recorded by a high speed camera. The data were measured during ‘soft‘ phonation onset, given by the phonation threshold airflow rate, and during ‘normal‘ phonation for the airflow rate of about three times higher. A model
of the human vocal tract in the position for production of vowel [u:] was used, and the flow resistance was raised by phonating into a glass resonance tube either in the air or having the other end of the tube submerged under water, and by phonating into a narrow straws. The results for the pressures presented in time and frequency domain are comparable with the physiological ranges and limits measured in humans for ordinary phonation and for production of vocal exercises used in voice therapy. and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The aircraft engine lubricating oil monitoring is essential in terms of the flight safety and also for reduction of the maintenance cost. The concentration of metal elements in the lubricating oil includes a large amount of information about the health condition of the aircraft engine. By monitoring the lubricating oil, maintenance engineers can judge the performance deterioration of the aircraft engine and can find the latent mechanical faults in the aircraft engine in advance. But it is difficult for traditional methods to predict the tendency of the mental elements concentration in the lubricating oil. In this paper, a time series prediction method based on process neural network (PNN) is proposed to solve this problem. The inputs and the connection weights of the PNN are time-varied functions. A corresponding learning algorithm is developed. To simplify the learning algorithm, a set of appropriate orthogonal basis functions are introduced to expand the input functions and the connection weight functions of the PNN. The effectiveness of the proposed method is proved by the Mackey-Glass time series prediction. Finally, the proposed method is utilized to predict the Fe concentration in the aircraft engine lubricating oil monitoring, and the test results indicate that the proposed model seems to perform well and appears suitable for using as a predictive maintenance tool.
Chronic airflow limitation, caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or by asthma, is believed to change the shape and the position of the diaphragm due to an increase in lung volume. We have made a comparison of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of diaphragm in supine position with pulmonary functions, respiratory muscle function and exercise tolerance. We have studied the differences between patients with COPD, patients with asthma, and healthy subjects. Most interestingly we found the lung hyperinflation leads to the changes in diaphragmatic excursions during the breathing cycle, seen in the differences between the maxim al expiratory diaphragm position (DPex) in patients with COPD and control group (p=0.0016) . The magnitude of the diaphragmatic dysfunction was significantly related to the airflow limitation expressed by the ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 s to slow vital capacity (FEV 1 /SVC) , (%, p=0.0007); to the lung hyperinflation expressed as the ratio of the residual volume to total lung capacity (RV/TLC), (%, p=0.0018) and the extent of tidal volume constrain expressed as maximal tidal volume (V Tmax ), ([l], p=0 .0002); and the ratio of tidal volume to slow vital capacity (VT/SVC), (p=0.0038) during submaximal exercise. These results suggest that diaphragmatic movement fails to contribute sufficiently to the change in lung volume in emphysema. Tests of respiratory muscle function were related to the position of the diaphragm in deep expiration, e.g. neuromuscular coupling (P 0.1 /VT) (p=0.0232). The results have shown that the lung volumes determine the position of the diaphragm and function of the respiratory muscles. Chronic airflow limitation seems to change the position of the diaphragm, which thereafter influences inspiratory muscle function and exercise tolerance. There is an apparent relationship between the position of the diaphragm and the pulmonary functions and exercise tolerance., L. Hellebrandová, J. Chlumský, P. Vostatek, D. Novák, Z. Rýznarová, V. Bunc., and Obsahuje bibliografii