In this paper we present a novel approach for the automatic detection of clicks from recordings of beaked whales, based on the phase characteristics of minimum phase signals and especially using the group delay function. Group delay is estimated through the direct and first derivative of the Fourier Transform of a signal. A major advantage of the proposed approach is its robustness against addi...

I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. Abstract Recent research has found that perceptual deficits exist in Parkinson's disease (PD), yet the link between perception and movement impairments is...

Introduction: Modified radical mastectomy, the standard surgical procedure in the management of carcinoma of breast is routinely performed under general anesthesia. but the patients of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with other comorbidites are at increased risk of perioperative morbidity and mortality especially because of pulmonary complications. We report successful perioperative manag...

Fluorescent optical mapping of cardiac electrophysiology in animal models has produced a wealth of information about the function of the cardiac pacemaking and conduction system. However, expanding optical mapping studies to the human conduction system will significantly increase our understanding of clinically relevant phenomena, such as atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia, that are d...

To assess elderly occupant protection in frontal as well as near-side impacts two restraint systems were designed to reduce loading of the chest and thereby reduce the risk of rib fractures which are common among the elderly population. The frontal protection system is called the split buckle (SB) system, and the side impact protection system is a pre-crash dual airbag (Pre-Crash SAB). The spli...

The life of a structure can be extended by early detection of cracks with appropriate repairs. In reality, structural failure is always accompanied by the formation of cracks and early detection of cracks is essential in extending structure life and preventing structural failure(1). Therefore, there is a huge amount of research on monitoring surface crack development in concrete structures, esp...

Introduction Diffusion weighted single shot spin-echo planer imaging (DW-EPI) is commonly used for diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). DW-EPI is very sensitive to static magnetic field (B0) inhomogeneities (such as that near air-tissue boundary) that produce geometric distortion, primarily along the phase-encoding direction. As a result, artifacts are severe in the frontal and temporal lobes due to...

Objective The rupture of an atherosclerotic plaque is a major cause of ischemic events, such as stroke and myocardial infarction. Plaque vulnerability has been linked to the formation of angiogenic microvessels within the plaque. It has been shown that dynamic-contrast enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) allows the detection and quantification of this neovascularisation. Pharmacokinetic models are used to d...

INTRODUCTION: Increasing evidence suggests that schizophrenia spectrum disorders lie at the extreme end of a continuum of psychosis proneness, ranging in severity from mild (non-clinical) schizotypy, through to schizophrenia. Individuals with schizotypal traits can be identified in the general population and display a constellation of cognitive perceptual disturbances; disorganised thought; and...