Control of Fundamental Frequency in Dysphonic Patients During Phonation and Speech.

PURPOSE: The pitch-shift reflex (PSR) is the adaptation of the fundamental frequency during phonation and speech and describes the auditory feedback control. Speakers without voice and speech disorders mostly show a compensation of the pitch change in the auditory feedback and adapt their fundamental frequency to the opposite direction. Dysphonic patients often display problems with the auditory perception and control of their voice during therapy. Our study focuses on the auditory and kinesthetic control mechanisms of patients with muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) and speakers without voice and speech problems. Main purpose of the study is the analysis of the functionality of the control mechanisms within phonation and speech between patients with MTD and normal speakers. METHOD: Sixty-one healthy subjects (17 male, 44 female) and 22 patients with MTD (7 male, 15 female) participated following two paradigms including a sustained phonation (vowel /a/) and speech (['mama]). Within both paradigms the fundamental frequency of the auditory feedback was increased synthetically. For the analysis of the PSR the electroencephalogram, electroglottography, the voice signal, and the high-speed endoscopy data were recorded simultaneously. The PSR in the electroencephalogram was detected via the N100 and the mismatch negativity. Statistical tests were applied for the detection of the PSR in the physiological response within the electroglottography, voice, and high-speed endoscopy signals. The results were compared between both groups. RESULTS: No differences were found between the controls and patients with MTD regarding latency and magnitude of the perception of the pitch shift in both paradigms, but for the magnitude of the behavioral response. Differences also could be found for both groups between the "no pitch" and "pitch" condition of the two paradigms regarding vocal fold dynamics and voice quality. Patients with MTD showed more vibrational irregularities during the PSR than the controls, especially regarding the symmetry of vocal fold dynamics. CONCLUSION: Patients with MTD seem to have a disturbed interaction between the auditory and kinesthetic feedback inducing the execution of an overriding behavioral response.

Erratum: Higgs Boson Pair Production in Gluon Fusion at Next-to-Leading Order with Full Top-Quark Mass Dependence [Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 012001 (2016)].

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.012001.

Higgs Boson Pair Production in Gluon Fusion at Next-to-Leading Order with Full Top-Quark Mass Dependence.

We present the calculation of the cross section and invariant mass distribution for Higgs boson pair production in gluon fusion at next-to-leading order (NLO) in QCD. Top-quark masses are fully taken into account throughout the calculation. The virtual two-loop amplitude has been generated using an extension of the program GoSam supplemented with an interface to Reduze for the integral reduction. The occurring integrals have been calculated numerically using the program SecDec. Our results, including the full top-quark mass dependence for the first time, allow us to assess the validity of various approximations proposed in the literature, which we also recalculate. We find substantial deviations between the NLO result and the different approximations, which emphasizes the importance of including the full top-quark mass dependence at NLO.

Physics at the [Formula: see text] linear collider.

A comprehensive review of physics at an [Formula: see text] linear collider in the energy range of [Formula: see text] GeV-3 TeV is presented in view of recent and expected LHC results, experiments from low-energy as well as astroparticle physics. The report focusses in particular on Higgs-boson, top-quark and electroweak precision physics, but also discusses several models of beyond the standard model physics such as supersymmetry, little Higgs models and extra gauge bosons. The connection to cosmology has been analysed as well.

Precise QCD predictions for the production of a photon pair in association with two jets.

We compute the cross section for the production of a high-mass photon pair in association with two hadronic jets to next-to-leading order in quantum chromodynamics. Our results allow us for the first time to reliably predict the absolute normalization of this process and demonstrate that the shape of important kinematical distributions is modified by higher-order effects. The perturbative corrections will be an important ingredient in precision studies of Higgs boson properties from its production in association with two jets.

Next-to-leading-order QCD corrections to Higgs boson production plus three jets in gluon fusion.

We report on the calculation of the cross section for Higgs boson production in association with three jets via gluon fusion, at next-to-leading-order (NLO) accuracy in QCD, in the infinite top-mass approximation. After including the complete NLO QCD corrections, we observe a strong reduction in the scale dependence of the result, and an increased steepness in the transverse momentum distributions of both the Higgs boson and the leading jets. The results are obtained with the combined use of GOSAM, SHERPA, and the MADDIPOLE-MADEVENT framework.

Thromboprophylaxis with 60 mg enoxaparin is safe in hip trauma surgery.

BACKGROUND: Little information is available concerning dosage and optimal initiation of thromboprophylactic therapy with low-molecular-weight heparin (enoxaparin) in nonelective hip surgery. The aim of our prospective study was to evaluate the incidence of clinically apparent deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), and major hemorrhage in patients receiving thromboprophylaxis with enoxaparin undergoing hip surgery after hip fracture. METHOD: From 946 consecutive patients admitted with hip fractures, 897 were operated on and received enoxaparin according to the following regimen: Preoperative heparinization from time of admission onwards. Administration of 60 mg enoxaparin, in two doses (20 and 40 mg subcutaneously), during the first 5 days postoperatively. Prophylaxis for a minimum of 5 weeks (40 mg daily). RESULTS: Clinical signs of DVT were present in 37 patients (4.2%), who all underwent venography. In five patients, DVT was confirmed (0.6%). None of these patients suffered from PE. Another four patients (0.4%) developed clinical signs of PE, and suspected diagnosis was confirmed by computed tomographic scan in two (0.2%). No deaths because of PE were observed. Major hemorrhage occurred in 42 patients (4.7%), there was one death from hemorrhage caused by an intracerebral event. No case of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia type II was observed. CONCLUSION: Thromboprophylaxis with 60 mg enoxaparin daily, in split doses, starting before surgery, is safe and appropriate in patients with hip fractures. Clinically apparent DVT and PE are rarely observed, and bleeding complications are comparable to those occurring with a conventional thromboprophylactic regimen.

Augmentative and alternative communication to support receptive and expressive communication for people with autism.

In this article the authors discuss the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) as used to enhance comprehension and expression of people with autism. A theoretical model for AAC assessment and intervention planning is presented. Application of the model is illustrated through a case report of a 6-year-old boy with autism who had severe expressive and receptive language impairments.

Psychopaths at Nuremberg? A Rorschach analysis of the records of the Nazi war criminals.

Sixteen Nuremberg war criminals' (NWC) Rorschach records were compared to those of Antisocial Personality Disordered (APD) incarcerated males procured by Gacono and Meloy (1988). The Meloy (1988) set of hypotheses for psychopathy was applied to the NWCs' Rorschachs. The NWCs did not match Meloy's hypotheses, and neither did the antisocial personality disordered inmates. However, individually and as a group, the NWC Rorschach variables indicated less psychopathy, according to the hypotheses, than those of the APD inmates. Unlike most previous studies, variance in type and degree of psychopathology precluded the application of a mental disorder, character structure, or trait to all, or to the majority, of NWCs. Nevertheless, common features, such as avoidance of responsibility, low self-esteem, and capacity for affection, were revealed.

Radon emanation from coals: effects of moisture and particle size.

The emanation of 222Rn from several coal samples (including lignites) was measured as a function of particle size and water content. From 10 to 0.85 mm, particle diameter had no measurable effect on 222Rn emanation. However, the fraction of 222Rn emanated did have a linear dependence on water content, the upper limit observed being equal to the weight fraction of water in the coal. Coals and lignites having typical concentrations of 238U emanate no more 222Rn than do comparable masses of typical soils. Our results appear to have implications for the spatial relationship between the 226Ra atoms and the pores in the coals on the scale of the 222Rn recoil range (0.05 micron).

Versatile high-throughput filter for altering the spectrum of multiple-frequency lasers.

This device filters any desired subset of frequencies from a multiple-frequency laser without reducing substantially either the power in the remaining frequencies or the optical quality of the reconstructed beam. It should be useful in multiple-frequency laser photochemistry and the probing of multiple-frequency laser media.