Different effects of dual task demands on the speech of young and older adults

This is an electronic version of an article published in Kemper, S., Herman, R. E., Nartowicz, J.(2005). Different effects of dual task demands on the speech of young and older adults. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 12, 340-358. PM#1410812. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition is available online at www.taylorandfrancis.comYoung and older adults provided language samples in response to elicitation questions while concurrently performing 3 different tasks. The language samples were scored on three dimensions: fluency, grammatical complexity, and content. Previous research has shown that older adults use a restricted speech register that is grammatically less complex than young adults’ and has suggested that this restricted speech register is buffered from the costs of dual task demands. This hypothesis was tested by comparing language samples collected during a baseline condition with those produced while the participants were performing the concurrent tasks. The results indicate that young and older adults adopt different strategies when confronted with dual task demands. Young adults shift to a restricted speech register when confronted with dual task demands. Older adults, who were already using a restricted speech register, became less fluent although the grammatical complexity and informational content of their speech was preserved. Hence, some but not all aspects of older adults’ speech are buffered from dual task demands

Reduced costs with bisoprolol treatment for heart failure - An economic analysis of the second Cardiac Insufficiency Bisoprolol Study (CIBIS-II)

Background Beta-blockers, used as an adjunctive to diuretics, digoxin and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, improve survival in chronic heart failure. We report a prospectively planned economic analysis of the cost of adjunctive beta-blocker therapy in the second Cardiac Insufficiency BIsoprolol Study (CIBIS II). Methods Resource utilization data (drug therapy, number of hospital admissions, length of hospital stay, ward type) were collected prospectively in all patients in CIBIS . These data were used to determine the additional direct costs incurred, and savings made, with bisoprolol therapy. As well as the cost of the drug, additional costs related to bisoprolol therapy were added to cover the supervision of treatment initiation and titration (four outpatient clinic/office visits). Per them (hospital bed day) costings were carried out for France, Germany and the U.K. Diagnosis related group costings were performed for France and the U.K. Our analyses took the perspective of a third party payer in France and Germany and the National Health Service in the U.K. Results Overall, fewer patients were hospitalized in the bisoprolol group, there were fewer hospital admissions perpatient hospitalized, fewer hospital admissions overall, fewer days spent in hospital and fewer days spent in the most expensive type of ward. As a consequence the cost of care in the bisoprolol group was 5-10% less in all three countries, in the per them analysis, even taking into account the cost of bisoprolol and the extra initiation/up-titration visits. The cost per patient treated in the placebo and bisoprolol groups was FF35 009 vs FF31 762 in France, DM11 563 vs DM10 784 in Germany and pound 4987 vs pound 4722 in the U.K. The diagnosis related group analysis gave similar results. Interpretation Not only did bisoprolol increase survival and reduce hospital admissions in CIBIS II, it also cut the cost of care in so doing. This `win-win' situation of positive health benefits associated with cost savings is Favourable from the point of view of both the patient and health care systems. These findings add further support for the use of beta-blockers in chronic heart failure

Analitical Method of PID Controller Tuning for a Class of Unstable Plant

The aim of the paper is to present the synthesis method of classic PID controller for a class of unstable plant. The proposed method based directly on Skogestad paper, where analitical synthesis of PID controllers in described. This paper is generalization of that approach on a class of unstable plants with delay. Analitical method for synthesis of fractional controllers is given. The considerations are illustrated By numerical example and results of computer simulation with MATLAB/Simulink

Design of a fractional order controller satysfying gain and phase margin for a class of inertial plants with delay

Rozważono problem projektowania regulatora ułamkowego rzędu zapewniającego zadany zapas stabilności układu regulacji z obiektem inercyjnym pierwszego rzędu z opóźnieniem, pierwszego rzędu z całkowaniem i opóźnieniem oraz drugiego rzędu z opóźnieniem. Podano komputerową metodę syntezy regulatora ułamkowego rzędu. Bazuje ona na zastosowaniu idealnej transmitancji Bodego jako wzorca dla układu otwartego z regulatorem. Rozważania zilustrowano przykładami liczbowymi i wynikami badań symulacyjnych.In the paper there is considered the design problem of a fractional order controller satisfying the given gain and phase margin of the closed loop system with a first order inertial plant with time delay (1), a first order inertial plant with integral term and time delay (17) and a second order inertial plant with time delay (23). The proposed method is based on using the Bode's ideal transfer function (2) as a reference transfer function of the open loop system. The synthesis method consists in simplifying the plant transfer function (3), (18), (24), and determining the controller transfer function so that the open loop transfer function has a form (2), not including the time delay. The transfer function of the fractional controller described is given by (4) for plant (1), (19) for (17) and (25) for (23). The controller fractional order is related to the gain and phase margin only (13). The fractional controller parameters are described by simple formulas. A computer method for fractional controller synthesis is given. The considerations are illustrated by numerical examples as well as results of computer simulations performed in the MATLAB/Simulink environment

Design of fractional order controller for a first order unstable plant with delay

Rozważono problem doboru wartości regulatora ułamkowego rzędu zapewniającego zadany zapas stabilności układu regulacji z obiektem niestabilnym pierwszego rzędu z opóźnieniem. Transmitancja operatorowa regulatora wynika z zastosowania idealnej transmitancji Bodego jako wzorca dla układu otwartego z regulatorem. Podano komputerową metodę syntezy regulatora ułamkowego rzędu. Ponadto wykorzystując klasyczną metodę podziału D podano prostą analityczną metodę wyznaczania obszarów stabilności w przestrzenie parametrów regulatora, uwzględniając zadane wartości zapasu fazy i modułu. Rozważania zilustrowano przykładem liczbowym i wynikami badań symulacyjnych.The paper presents the design problem of fractional order controller satisfying gain and phase margin of the closed-loop system with time-delay first order unstable plant. The transfer function of the controller follows directly from the use of Bode's ideal transfer function as a reference transfer function of the open loop system. Computer method for synthesis of fractional controller is given. Using the classical D-partition method a simple analytical method for determining stability regions respecting phase and gain margins in the controller parameters space is given. The considerations are illustrated by numerical example and results of computer simulation

Design of Fractional Order Controller Satisfying Given Gain and Phase Margin for a Class of Unstable Plant with Delay

The paper describes the design problem of fractional order controller satisfying gain and phase margin of the closed loop system with unstable plant with delay. The proposed method is based on using Bode's ideal transfer function as a reference transfer function of the open loop system. Synthesis method is based on simplify of the object transfer function. Fractional order of the controllers is relative with gain and phase margin only. Computer method for synthesis of fractional controllers is given. The considerations are illustrated by numerical example and results of computer simulation with MATLAB/Simulink

Design of fractional order controller satisfying gain and phase margin of the closed loop system with time-delay inertial plant with integral term

Rozważono problem projektowania regulatora ułamkowego rzędu zapewniającego zadany zapas stabilności układu regulacji z obiektem inercyjnym pierwszego rzędu z całkowaniem i opóźnieniem oraz układu regulacji z obiektem niestabilnym. Zaproponowana metoda projektowania bazuje na zastosowaniu idealnej transmitancji Bodego jako wzorca dla układu otwartego z regulatorem. Podano komputerową metodę syntezy regulatora ułamkowego rzędu. Rozważania zilustrowano przykładem liczbowym i wynikami badań symulacyjnych.The paper considers the design problem of fractional order controller satisfying gain and phase margin of the closed loop system with time-delay inertial plant with integral term and closed loop system with unstable plant. The proposed method is based on using Bode's ideal transfer function as a reference transfer function for the open loop system. Computer method for synthesis of fractional controller is given. The considerations are illustrated by numerical example and results of computer simulation

Stabilization of Inertial Plant with Time Delay Using Fractional Order Controller

The paper presents the problem of designing of a fractional order controller satisfying the conditions of gain and phase margins of the closed-loop system with time-delay inertial plant. The transfer function of the controller follows directly from the use of Bode's ideal transfer function as a reference transfer function for the open loop system. Using the classical D-partition method and the gain-phase margin tester, a simple computational method for determining stability regions in the controller parameters plane is given. An efficient analytical procedure to obtain controller parameter values for specified gain and phase margin requirements is also given. The considerations are illustrated by numerical examples computed in MATLAB/Simulink