Methods of Improving Speech Intelligibility for Listeners with Hearing Resolution Deficit

ABSTRACT: Methods developed for real-time time scale modification (TSM) of speech signal are presented. They are based on the non-uniform, speech rate depended SOLA algorithm (Synchronous Overlap and Add). Influence of the proposed method on the intelligibility of speech was investigated for two separate groups of listeners, i.e. hearing impaired children and elderly listeners. It was shown that for the speech with average rate equal to or higher than 6.48 vowels/s, all of the proposed methods have statistically significant impact on the improvement of speech intelligibility for hearing impaired children with reduced hearing resolution and one of the proposed methods significantly improves comprehension of speech in the group of elderly listeners with reduced hearing resolution. VIRTUAL SLIDES: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/206548637176199

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a method to manage acute cardiopulmonary failure after emergency coronary artery bypass grafting

Acute cardiopulmonary failure after emergency coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a complex thera­peutic problem due to its high mortality rate. This paper reports the safety and effectiveness of extracorpor­eal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in treating acute cardiopulmonary failure following emergency CABG. A 37-day period of mechanical circulation support and extracorporeal blood oxygenation with the ECMO method served as a bridge to recovery. At day 34 following the disconnection of ECMO, a patient with EF > 35% was transferred to a rehabilitation ward. The procedure can be successful only when the physi­cians, nurses and perfusionists of the intensive care team cooperate closely

THE APPLICATION OF A NOISE MAPPING TOOL DEPLOYED IN GRID INFRASTRUCTURE FOR CREATING NOISE MAPS OF URBAN AREAS

The concept and implementation of the system for creating dynamic noise mapsin PL-Grid infrastructure are presented. The methodology of dynamic acousti-cal maps creating is introduced. The concept of noise mapping, based on noisesource and propagation models, was developed and employed in the system.The details of incorporation of the system to the PL-Grid infrastructure arepresented. The results of simulations performed by the system prototype aredepicted. The results in the form of noise maps obtained by a system are com-pared with some other solutions in order to investigate accuracy

Randomized trial of the chest compressions effectiveness comparing 3 feedback CPR devices and standard basic life support by nurses

Background: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is a leading cause of mortality and serious neurological morbidity inEurope.We aimto investigate the effect of 3 cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) feedback devices on effectivenessof chest compression during CPR.Methods: Thiswas prospective, randomized, crossover, controlled trial. Following a brief didactic session, 140 volunteernurses inexperienced with feedback CPR devices attempted chest compression on amanikin using 3 CPRfeedback devices (TrueCPR, CPR-Ezy, and iCPR) and standard basic life support (BLS) without feedback.Results: Comparison of standard BLS, TrueCPR, CPR-Ezy, and iCPR showed differences in the effectiveness of chestcompression (compressions with correct pressure point, correct depth, and sufficient decompression),which are,respectively, 37.5%, 85.6%, 39.5%, and 33.4%; compression depth (44.6 vs 54.5 vs 45.6 vs 39.6mm); and compressionrate (129.4 vs 110.2 vs 101.5 vs 103.5 min-1).Conclusions: During the simulated resuscitation scenario, only TrueCPR significantly affected the increased effectivenesscompression compared with standard BLS, CPR-Ezy, and iCPR. Further studies are required to confirmthe results in clinical practice

Elective lung resection increases spatial QRS-T angle and QTc interval

Background: Lung resection changes intra-thoracic anatomy, which may affect electrocardiographic results. While postoperative cardiac arrhythmias have been recognized after lung resection, no study has documented changes in vectorcardiographic variables in patients undergoing this surgery. The purpose of this study was to analyse changes in spatial QRS-T angle (spQRS-T) and corrected QT interval (QTc) after lung resection.Methods: Adult patients undergoing elective lung resection under general anaesthesia were studied. The patients were allocated into four groups: those undergoing (1) left lobectomy (LL); (2) left pneumonectomy (LP); (3) right lobectomy (RL); and (4) right pneumonectomy (RP). The spQRS-T angle and QTc interval were measured one day before surgery (baseline) and 24, 48 and 72 h after surgery.Results: Seventy-one adult patients (47 men and 24 women) aged 47–80 (65 ± 7) years were studied. In the study group as a whole, lung resection was associated with significant increases in spQRS-T (p < 0.001) and QTc (p < 0.05 at 24 and 48 h and p < 0.01 at 72 h). The greatest changes were noted in patients undergoing LP. Postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) was noted in 6.4% of patients studied, in whom the widest spQRS-T angle and the most prolonged QTc intervals were also noted.Conclusions: Lung resection widens the spQRS-T angle and prolongs the QTc interval, especially in patients undergoing LP. While postoperative AF was a relatively rare complication after lung resection in this study, it was associated with the widest spQRS-T angles and most prolonged QTc intervals