High CO2 permeation using a new Ce0.85Gd0.15O2-δ-LaNiO3 composite ceramic-carbonate dual-phase membrane.

This work shows the synthesis, characterization and evaluation of dense-ceramic membranes made of Ce0.85Gd0.15O2-δ-LaNiO3 (CG-LN) composites, where the fluorite-perovskite ratio (CG:LN) was varied as follows: 75:25, 80:20 and 85:15 wt.%. Supports were initially characterized by XRD, SEM and electrical conductivity (using vacuum and oxygen atmospheres), to determine the composition, microstructural and ionic-electronic conductivity properties. Later, supports were infiltrated with an eutectic carbonates mixture, producing the corresponding dense dual-phase membranes, in which CO2 permeation tests were conducted. Here, CO2 permeation experiments were performed from 900 to 700°C, in the presence and absence of oxygen (flowed in the sweep membrane side). Results showed that these composites possess high CO2 permeation properties, where the O2 addition significantly improves the ionic conduction on the sweep membrane side. Specifically, the GC80-LN20 composition presented the best results due to the following physicochemical characteristics: high electronic and ionic conductivity, appropriate porosity, interconnected porous channels, as well as thermal and chemical stabilities between the composite support and carbonate phases.

Is Lyapunov exponent a reliable metric to detect dynamic stability in Parkinson's disease?

Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder worldwide. It affects the nervous system, causing motor and non-motor symptomatology. However, its clinical diagnosis remains dependent on the expertise of clinicians, as perceptual clinical scales are often used. Gait stability is one of the most relevant motor signs in PD. Nonetheless, it is usually not reported or quantified, possibly due to its unclear meaning and the high variability of metrics used in the literature. This work aims to identify a reliable and objective indicator that clinicians can use to assess patients in realistic contexts. We focused on the Largest Lyapunov Exponent (LLE), being the most common metric used in previous research works to quantify gait stability. The short and long-term LLEs were calculated in a group of 34 healthy and 42 participants diagnosed with PD. The long-term LLE extracted from the chest, right arm and right foot sensors showed statistical differences between subjects with PD and healthy control (HC) subjects, showing that the HC subjects are more stable than PD patients, whereas the short-term LLE showed the opposite results. Further investigation is required to clarify the reliability of this metric to detect and rate gait stability in people affected with PD.Clinical Relevance- This study is the first step towards the identification of an objective methodology to assess gait stability in clinical settings. Achieving this goal will contribute to improve the understanding and support the diagnosis of gait disorders that cause gait stability problems.

Intención de Lactar exclusivamente con Leche Materna: Un Estudio Basado en la Teoría de la Conducta Planeada / Intention to breastfeed exclusively: A study based on the Theory of Planned Behavior

La lactancia materna exclusiva (LME) aporta diversos beneficios a la salud del niño y de la madre. La Teoría de la Conducta Planeada (TCP) es un modelo enfocado en la predicción de algunas conductas relacionadas con la salud, como la LME. El objetivo de este estudio fue identificar la relación de las variables de la TCP con la intención de dar LME. Se llevó a cabo un estudio transversal con 442 mujeres embarazadas de la Ciudad de México. Las variables de la TCP se midieron con instrumentos previamente validados. Un análisis de regresión logística múltiple, ajustado por paridad y edad materna, identificó asociaciones significativas entre la intención de amamantar y la norma subjetiva, OR = 1.07 (IC 95% [1.01, 1.14]), y el control conductual percibido, OR = 1.05 (IC 95% [1.01, 1.11]), con la intención. Como conclusión, en esta muestra se asociaron dos constructos de la TCP con la intención de lactar de forma exclusiva

Breastfeeding provides health benefits to children and mothers. WHO recommends it be exclusive until 6 months of age. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) focus on the prediction of health-related behaviors, such as breastfeeding. The objective of this study was to identify the relationship of attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control with the intention of exclusively breastfeeding in a sample of Mexican pregnant women. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 442 pregnant women from Mexico City. Psychosocial variables were measured with a set of scales previously validated. A multiple logistic regression analysis, adjusted for the number of previous children and maternal age, identified significant associations between intention to breastfeed and one dimension of the subjective norm (participants' mothers opinions), OR = 1.07 (IC 95% [1.01, 1.14]), as well as perceived behavioral control, OR = 1.05 (IC 95% [1.01, 1.11]). In the case of this sample, TCP constructs associated to the intention to exclusively breastfeed

Oversedation Zero as a tool for comfort, safety and intensive care unit management. / Sobresedación Zero como herramienta de confort, seguridad y gestión en la unidades de cuidados intensivos.

Sedation is necessary in the management of critically ill patients, both to alleviate suffering and to cure patients with diseases that require admission to the intensive care unit. Such sedation should be appropriate to the patient needs at each timepoint during clinical evolution, and neither too low (undersedation) nor too high (oversedation). Adequate sedation influences patient comfort, safety, survival, subsequent quality of life, bed rotation of critical care units and costs. Undersedation is detected and quickly corrected. In contrast, oversedation is silent and difficult to prevent in the absence of management guidelines, collective awareness and teamwork. The Zero Oversedation Project of the Sedation, Analgesia and Delirium Working Group of the Spanish Society of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine and Coronary Units aims to offer a practical teaching and collective awareness tool for ensuring patient comfort, safety and management with a view to optimizing the clinical outcomes and minimizing the deleterious effects of excessive sedation. The tool is based on a package of measures that include monitoring pain, analgesia, agitation, sedation, delirium and neuromuscular block, keeping patients pain-free, performing dynamic sedation according to clinical objectives, agreeing upon the multidisciplinary protocol to be followed, and avoiding deep sedation where not clinically indicated.

Study of the Automatic Detection of Parkison's Disease Based on Speaker Recognition Technologies and Allophonic Distillation.

The use of new tools to detect Parkinson's Disease (PD) from speech articulatory movements can have a considerable impact in the diagnosis of patients. In this study, a novel approach involving speaker recognition techniques with allophonic distillation is proposed and tested separately in four parkinsonian speech databases (205 patients and 186 controls in total). This new scheme provides values between 72% and 94% of accuracy in the automatic detection of PD, depending on the database, and improvements up to 9% respect to baseline techniques. Results not only point towards the importance of the segmentation of the speech for the differentiation of parkinsonian and control speakers but confirm previous findings about the relevance of plosives and fricatives in the detection of parkinsonian dysarthria.

Diseño y validación de un instrumento para medir la autoeficacia para lactar de mujeres embarazadas mexicanas / Design and validation of a scale to measure breastfeeding self-efficacy in Mexican pregnant women

Resumen La lactancia materna exclusiva (LME) es una de las conductas saludables con mayor valor protector para la salud del niño y de la madre. La autoeficacia es un predictor de diferentes conductas saludables. El objetivo de esta investigación fue diseñar y validar un instrumento para medir la autoeficacia para lactar en mujeres embarazadas. Se realizó un estudio instrumental con usuarias de dos centros de salud de primer nivel de atención, seleccionadas a través de un muestreo no probabilístico. Se excluyeron aquellas mujeres que fueran analfabetas o tuvieran alguna condición médica que contraindicara la LME. Se utilizaron análisis descriptivos, bivariados y multivariados para obtener las propiedades psicométricas del instrumento. Participaron 369 mujeres. A través de un análisis factorial exploratorio se obtuvo una estructura unidimensional de 15 reactivos que explicó el 83% de la varianza total del instrumento (alfa de Cronbach = .93). Además, la autoeficacia para lactar se asoció (p <.05) con la intención para lactar, la edad y la escolaridad. El instrumento de autoeficacia para lactar obtenido mostró propiedades psicométricas adecuadas por lo que puede ser útil para identificar a las mujeres que están en riesgo de no iniciar la LME desde el nacimiento de su hijo, además, parece ser el primer instrumento de autoeficacia para lactar en México.

Abstract Exclusive breastfeeding (EB) is a health behavior with a greatest health protective value for children and mothers. Self-efficacy is a predictor of different health behaviors. The objective of this research was to design and validate an instrument to measure self-efficacy to breastfeed in pregnant women. An instrumental study was conducted with users of two primary health care centers, selected through a non-probabilistic sampling. Those women who were illiterate or had a medical condition that contraindicated EB were excluded. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analysis were used to obtain the psychometric properties of the instrument. 369 women participated. An exploratory factorial analysis resulted in a 15 items unidimensional structure that explained 83% of the total variance of the scale (Cronbach's alpha = .93). In addition, self-efficacy for breastfeeding was associated (p<.05) with intention to breastfeed, age and scholarship. The breastfeeding self-efficacy scale obtained showed adequate psychometric properties. So, it can be useful to identify women who may be at risk of not initiate breastfeeding from birth, as well as, it seems to be the first breastfeeding self-efficacy scale in Mexico.

Appropriateness of magnetic resonance imaging requested by primary care physicians for patients with knee pain.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the appropriateness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the knee requested by primary care physicians. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SETTING: Six primary care centres in the Elche Department of Health of the Valencian Community, Spain. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred patients with knee pain who were prescribed MRI. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data were collected from the electronic clinical history, which allowed us to assess the appropriateness and inappropriateness of the MRI requests for the knee based on the American College of Radiology (ACR) criteria. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with an inappropriate request. RESULTS: About 45% (41-49%) of knee MRI prescriptions were assessed as inappropriate. The frequency was higher in female patients (odds ratio, OR = 1.96; P = 0.03). A history of knee trauma and urgent use of MRI were associated with a lower frequency of inappropriate requests (OR = 0.14, P < 0.001 and OR = 0.32, P = 0.03, respectively). In 82% of cases, the request for MRI was deemed inappropriate because it was used as the initial imaging test. The availability of a previous radiograph of the knee significantly reduced the rate of inappropriate requests (OR = 0.05, P < 0.001); only 47% of the patients had a previous radiograph. CONCLUSIONS: The percentage of inappropriate knee MRI prescriptions is high. Protocols should be put in place to improve the appropriateness of MRI requests by promoting understanding of the appropriate use of MRI among primary care physicians.

Towards the identification of Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease from the speech. New articulatory kinetic biomarkers.

Although a large amount of acoustic indicators have already been proposed in the literature to evaluate the hypokinetic dysarthria of people with Parkinson's Disease, the goal of this work is to identify and interpret new reliable and complementary articulatory biomarkers that could be applied to predict/evaluate Parkinson's Disease from a diadochokinetic test, contributing to the possibility of a further multidimensional analysis of the speech of parkinsonian patients. The new biomarkers proposed are based on the kinetic behaviour of the envelope trace, which is directly linked with the articulatory dysfunctions introduced by the disease since the early stages. The interest of these new articulatory indicators stands on their easiness of identification and interpretation, and their potential to be translated into computer based automatic methods to screen the disease from the speech. Throughout this paper, the accuracy provided by these acoustic kinetic biomarkers is compared with the one obtained with a baseline system based on speaker identification techniques. Results show accuracies around 85% that are in line with those obtained with the complex state of the art speaker recognition techniques, but with an easier physical interpretation, which open the possibility to be transferred to a clinical setting.

Musicoterapia en la enfermedad de Alzheimer: efectos cognitivos, psicológicos y conductuales / Music therapy and Alzheimer's disease: Cognitive, psychological, and behavioural effects

Introducción: La musicoterapia forma parte de los programas de envejecimiento activo que se ofrecen a las personas mayores. Su utilidad en el campo de las demencias empieza a ser valorada por la comunidad científica, ya que se han reportado efectos positivos a nivel físico, cognitivo y psicológico. Son necesarios más estudios que perfilen el alcance de tales cambios en la enfermedad de Alzheimer. Objetivos: Conocer el perfil de mejoría clínica que experimentan los pacientes con enfermedad de Alzheimer con la aplicación de una intervención de musicoterapia. Pacientes y métodos: Se aplicó un tratamiento con musicoterapia durante 6 semanas a 42 pacientes con enfermedad de Alzheimer en estadio leve-moderado. Se estudiaron los cambios en las puntuaciones de Mini-examen del estado mental, Inventario de síntomas neuropsiquiátricos, Escala hospitalaria de ansiedad y depresión, e índice de Barthel. Se estudió si estos cambios se influían por el grado de severidad de la demencia. Resultados: Se observó una mejoría significativa de memoria, orientación, depresión y ansiedad (escala HAD) en pacientes leves y moderados; de ansiedad (escala NPI) en pacientes leves; de los delirios, alucinaciones, agitación, irritabilidad y trastornos del lenguaje en el grupo con demencia moderada. El efecto sobre las medidas cognitivas es ya apreciable a las 4 sesiones de musicoterapia. Conclusiones: En la muestra estudiada, la musicoterapia mejoró algunas alteraciones cognitivas, psicológicas y conductuales de los pacientes con enfermedad de Alzheimer. Sería interesante complementar la musicoterapia con intervenciones de danzaterapia a fin de mejorar los aspectos motores y funcionales (AU)

Introduction: Music therapy is one of the types of active ageing programmes which are offered to elderly people. The usefulness of this programme in the field of dementia is beginning to be recognised by the scientific community, since studies have reported physical, cognitive, and psychological benefits. Further studies detailing the changes resulting from the use of music therapy with Alzheimer patients are needed. Objectives: Determine the clinical improvement profile of Alzheimer patients who have undergone music therapy. Patients and methods: Forty-two patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease underwent music therapy for 6 weeks. The changes in results on the Mini-mental State Examination, Neuropsychiatric Inventory, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Barthel Index scores were studied. We also analysed whether or not these changes were influenced by the degree of dementia severity. Results: Significant improvement was observed in memory, orientation, depression and anxiety (HAD scale) in both mild and moderate cases; in anxiety (NPI scale) in mild cases; and in delirium, hallucinations, agitation, irritability, and language disorders in the group with moderate Alzheimer disease. The effect on cognitive measures was appreciable after only 4 music therapy sessions. Conclusions: In the sample studied, music therapy improved some cognitive, psychological, and behavioural alterations in patients with Alzheimer disease. Combining music therapy with dance therapy to improve motor and functional impairment would be an interesting line of research (AU)

Riesgo de transmisión de virus Zika en España. Experiencia de un Departamento de Salud / Risk of transmission of Zika virus in Spain: an experience in a Health Department

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Music therapy and Alzheimer's disease: Cognitive, psychological, and behavioural effects. / Musicoterapia en la enfermedad de Alzheimer: efectos cognitivos, psicológicos y conductuales.

INTRODUCTION: Music therapy is one of the types of active ageing programmes which are offered to elderly people. The usefulness of this programme in the field of dementia is beginning to be recognised by the scientific community, since studies have reported physical, cognitive, and psychological benefits. Further studies detailing the changes resulting from the use of music therapy with Alzheimer patients are needed. OBJECTIVES: Determine the clinical improvement profile of Alzheimer patients who have undergone music therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-two patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease underwent music therapy for 6 weeks. The changes in results on the Mini-mental State Examination, Neuropsychiatric Inventory, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Barthel Index scores were studied. We also analysed whether or not these changes were influenced by the degree of dementia severity. RESULTS: Significant improvement was observed in memory, orientation, depression and anxiety (HAD scale) in both mild and moderate cases; in anxiety (NPI scale) in mild cases; and in delirium, hallucinations, agitation, irritability, and language disorders in the group with moderate Alzheimer disease. The effect on cognitive measures was appreciable after only 4 music therapy sessions. CONCLUSIONS: In the sample studied, music therapy improved some cognitive, psychological, and behavioural alterations in patients with Alzheimer disease. Combining music therapy with dance therapy to improve motor and functional impairment would be an interesting line of research.

Conocimientos y aptitudes del personal sanitario frente a sospecha de caso de enfermedad por el virus del Ébola / Knowledge and attitudes of healthcare workers towards a suspect case of Ebola virus disease

Introducción. El último brote de la enfermedad por el virus del Ébola, constituyó un precedente a la hora de evidenciar la necesaria formación del personal sanitario para posibles eventualidades de casos sospechosos de enfermedades contagiosas. Se precisa estudiar el nivel de cualificación del personal sanitario ante dichas situaciones. Material y métodos. Estudio descriptivo mediante encuesta post-taller al personal sanitario de un departamento de salud de la Comunidad Valenciana sobre los conocimientos y aptitudes adquiridos tras la formación. Resultados y conclusiones. El personal sanitario obtuvo una calificación global de aprobado en la encuesta post-taller, pero con diferencias en cuanto a categorías profesionales y distintos bloques de la formación, cuyas calificaciones podrían ser consideradas como deficientes en algunos casos. Se debería revisar la formación del personal sanitario periódicamente y calibrar dicha formación a los recursos de los que se dispone para una correcta actuación (AU)

Introduction. The last outbreak of the Ebola virus disease, was a precedent to demonstrate the necessary training of healthcare personnel for possible eventualities of suspected cases of infectious diseases. It is required to study the level of qualification of healthcare workers in such situations. Methods. Descriptive study using post-workshop survey of healthcare workers in a Valencian Community health department on acquired knowledge and skills after training. Results and conclusions. Healthcare personnel received an overall passing score on the post-workshop survey, but with differences in occupational categories and different blocks of training. The ratings could be considered deficient in some cases. It should be reviewed periodically training health personnel and calibrate such training to the resources available for proper operation (AU)

[Knowledge and attitudes of healthcare workers towards a suspect case of Ebola virus disease]. / Conocimientos y aptitudes del personal sanitario frente a sospecha de caso de enfermedad por el virus del Ébola.

OBJECTIVE: The last outbreak of the Ebola virus disease, was a precedent to demonstrate the necessary training of healthcare personnel for possible eventualities of suspected cases of infectious diseases. It is required to study the level of qualification of healthcare workers in such situations. METHODS: Descriptive study using post-workshop survey of healthcare workers in a Valencian Community health department on acquired knowledge and skills after training. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare personnel received an overall passing score on the post-workshop survey, but with differences in occupational categories and different blocks of training. The ratings could be considered deficient in some cases. It should be reviewed periodically training health personnel and calibrate such training to the resources available for proper operation.

Addressing the bias problem in the assessment of the quality of life of patients with dementia: determinants of the accuracy and precision of the proxy ratings.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to examine the discrepancy between patients and caregivers' ratings of quality of life in terms of accuracy and precision, and identify factors associated with it, in order to facilitate the use of this scale as dementia progresses. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analytic study. SETTING: Day care centres. PARTICIPANTS: Community-living patients with Alzheimer's disease in early or moderate stage and their principal caregivers. MEASUREMENTS: PARTICIPANTS rated patients' quality of life using DEMQOL. The discrepancy was assessed using the individual difference score and the residuals for each domain of DEMQOL. The scores on Mini-Mental State Examination, Geriatric Depression Scale, Neuropsychiatric Inventory, Clinical Insight Rating Scale, Cumulative Illness Rating Scale, Health Utilities Index Mark 3 and Zarit Burden Interview were considered as possible predictors of the discrepancy. RESULTS: A total of 276 subjects participated in the study (138 patients with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers). Discrepancy measured by individual difference score was lower than that measured by the residuals. Burden and mood-related symptoms explained the positive differences and residuals, while pain, self-perceived depression and cognition determined the negative ones. CONCLUSIONS: Differences exist between patients and caregivers' perceptions about subjective states. The evaluations of each informant seem to be influenced by their own emotional state and the inner experience of the effects of the disease. Caregivers' ratings on DEMQOL could be useful to monitor the efficacy of any treatment whenever burden is low and patients have no great physical or emotional suffering.

Validación de la versión española de la escala QoL-AD en pacientes con enfermedad de Alzheimer, cuidadores y profesionales sanitarios / Validation of the Spanish version of the QoL-AD Scale in alzheimer disease patients, their carers, and health professionals

Background: Quality of life (QOL) is becoming increasingly important to measure the effect of interventions on the life of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), particularly on the most meaningful issues. However, most of the instruments used to measure QOL have not been validated in the Spanish population. The aim of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of a Spanish version of QoL Scale in patients with AD, carers and health professionals. Material and methods: On hundred and two patients, their carers and 25 health professionals were recruited from day centres. Patients’ QOL was rated by patients, carers and health professionals. The Health Utilities Index, Clinical Insight Rating Scale and Mini Mental State Examination were also administered. Results: The internal and external reliability of QoL-AD were excellent. Criterion validity was indicated by a significant correlation of QoL-AD scores with HUI-3 and QoL-AD global item scores (p<.05). Lack of insight and cognitive impairment did not have an effect on these properties. QoL-AD scores were not significantly different between groups made according sociodemographic characteristics and cognitive impairment (p>.05). The exploratory factor analysis result revealed a three factor solution, which accounted for 61.3% of variance: health factor, functional status factor, and social relationship-environment factor. Conclusions: QoL-AD Scale has proved to be a valid and reliable instrument to measure QoL of Spanish AD patients with mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment and a wide range of anosognosia (AU)

Introducción: La calidad de vida (CV) está adquiriendo cada vez más relevancia como medida para evaluar los resultados de las distintas intervenciones terapéuticas sobre los pacientes con enfermedad de Alzheimer (EA), dado que contempla aspectos que son especialmente valiosos en su vida diaria. Sin embargo, son escasos los instrumentos para medir la CV que han sido validados en población española. El objetivo de este estudio es explorar las propiedades psicométricas de la escala QoL-AD en pacientes, cuidadores y profesionales sanitarios. Pacientes y métodos: Se seleccionó a 102 pacientes con EA en fase leve-moderada, sus cuidadores y 25 profesionales sanitarios. La CV de los pacientes fue valorada por pacientes, cuidadores y profesionales mediante la escala QoL-AD. Además, se administraron MMSE, escala de valoración de insight clínico (CIR) e índice de utilidades de salud (HUI-3). Resultados: La fiabilidad interna y externa de la escala QoL-AD fueron excelentes. La escala presenta validez de criterio dado que sus puntuaciones correlacionaron con las de HUI-3 y la medida global de CV (p<0,05). La falta de insight y el deterioro cognitivo no tuvieron un efecto sobre estas propiedades. Las puntuaciones en la escala QoL-AD no difirieron entre grupos establecidos según MMSE y factores sociodemográficos (p>0,05). En el análisis factorial se obtuvo una solución de tres factores que explica el 61,3% de la varianza: factor salud, factor estado funcional y factor relaciones sociales-ambiente. Conclusiones: La escala QoL-AD es un instrumento válido y fiable para medir la CV en la pacientes españoles con AD que presenten deterioro cognitivo leve-moderado, sea cual fuese su grado de insight (AU)

[Validation of the Spanish version of the QoL-AD Scale in alzheimer disease patients, their carers, and health professionals]. / Validación de la versión española de la escala QoL-AD en pacientes con enfermedad de Alzheimer, cuidadores y profesionales sanitarios.

BACKGROUND: Quality of life (QOL) is becoming increasingly important to measure the effect of interventions on the life of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), particularly on the most meaningful issues. However, most of the instruments used to measure QOL have not been validated in the Spanish population. The aim of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of a Spanish version of QoL Scale in patients with AD, carers and health professionals. MATERIAL AND METHODS: On hundred and two patients, their carers and 25 health professionals were recruited from day centres. Patients' QOL was rated by patients, carers and health professionals. The Health Utilities Index, Clinical Insight Rating Scale and Mini Mental State Examination were also administered. RESULTS: The internal and external reliability of QoL-AD were excellent. Criterion validity was indicated by a significant correlation of QoL-AD scores with HUI-3 and QoL-AD global item scores (p<.05). Lack of insight and cognitive impairment did not have an effect on these properties. QoL-AD scores were not significantly different between groups made according sociodemographic characteristics and cognitive impairment (p>.05). The exploratory factor analysis result revealed a three factor solution, which accounted for 61.3% of variance: health factor, functional status factor, and social relationship-environment factor. CONCLUSIONS: QoL-AD Scale has proved to be a valid and reliable instrument to measure QoL of Spanish AD patients with mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment and a wide range of anosognosia.

Influence of delay time on regularity estimation for voice pathology detection.

The employment of nonlinear analysis techniques for automatic voice pathology detection systems has gained popularity due to the ability of such techniques for dealing with the underlying nonlinear phenomena. On this respect, characterization using nonlinear analysis typically employs the classical Correlation Dimension and the largest Lyapunov Exponent, as well as some regularity quantifiers computing the system predictability. Mostly, regularity features highly depend on a correct choosing of some parameters. One of those, the delay time τ, is usually fixed to be 1. Nonetheless, it has been stated that a unity τ can not avoid linear correlation of the time series and hence, may not correctly capture system nonlinearities. Therefore, present work studies the influence of the τ parameter on the estimation of regularity features. Three τ estimations are considered: the baseline value 1; a τ based on the Average Automutual Information criterion; and τ chosen from the embedding window. Testing results obtained for pathological voice suggest that an improved accuracy might be obtained by using a τ value different from 1, as it accounts for the underlying nonlinearities of the voice signal.

Improving thermal barrier coatings by laser remelting.

Thermal barrier coatings are extensively used to protect metallic components in applications where the operating conditions include aggressive environment at high temperatures. These coatings are usually processed by thermal spraying techniques and the resulting microstructure includes thin and large splats, associated with the deposition of individual droplets, with porosity between splats. This porosity reduces the oxidation and corrosion resistance favouring the entrance of aggressive species during service. To overcome this limitation, the top coat could be modified by laser glazing reducing surface roughness and sealing open porosity. ZrO2(Y2O3) top coat and NiCrAlY bond coating were air plasma sprayed onto an Inconel 600 Ni base alloy. The top coat was laser remelted and a densified ceramic layer was induced in the top surface of the ceramic coating. This layer inhibited the ingress of aggressive species and delayed bond coat oxidation.